jnorgle

A movie about rape is generally thought to be cheesy, feminist and overacted. The Rape of Richard Beck redefines what a movie such as the aforementioned is all about.

Richard Crenna stars as Richard Beck, a mild-mannered, sensible police sergeant with an independent streak, having been a cop for over 20 years. The backstory succeeds in creating a normal, non-crafted individual without seeming forced. It should be noted those that have seen Rambo should be careful to not compare the two characters when watching.

The first 35 minutes of the film both serve as a means to introduce characters and as a way to juxtapose the old Richard and his life versus the new, affected one. The formula works.

What truly builds the film's level of competence are Crenna's small nuances he gives to Beck and the small but poignant change that is visible on his face before and after he is raped. The entire cast puts on a great performance as their characters are pitted against Crenna's Beck and one cannot help but have moments of pause. I suggest looking at Crenna's face at the beginning of the film and after the rape. There is a dramatic, and yet not dramatic, change in his face; his demeanor that help in making this film notches above the usual fare of movies on television.

The term "gang rape" is not used in this film, perhaps because Richard was only raped by two men, or because it was not made clear if one raped him and the other held him down. The film does not give many details about the rape, perhaps because that is not what the story is about. It is a documentation of one man's life before and after a violent sexual assault.

The ending of the film leaves one with a question about the rapists themselves, although one must wonder if it is simply bad acting or the look on the rapist's face: He looks woefully sorry from behind the police glass when finally identified. My first thought was he was high on drugs and would not have raped Richard otherwise and now must live with what he did. However, it is a question that will never be answered.

If you ever have an hour and a half to spare, this movie is well worth the watch, and you may watch parts over and over because it is just that powerful.

I've read numerous times that this is a "horrifying" movie. Actually, since reading that a few months ago I have been avoiding watching Session 9... thinking that it would be too intense for me. Last night I watched it. Big deal. It's really not scary at all when it comes down to it.

The movie lures into "thinking" it will be scary by using the typical horror movie music and sound effects, but it never delivers. To be honest I was actually thankful for this. It's a pretty good movie overall with an extremely "Blair Witch Project" feel throughout. You can almost think of this as a much better Blair Witch Project.

And maybe I'm just jaded by today's ultra-violent society, but the payoff when we learn what happened to Mary Hobbes and also to our main character aren't really that shocking. You get a lot worse on the news every night.