Crimes of the Century: The Murder of John Lennon (2013)
The second episode in CNN's series taking a look at some of the most infamous murders focuses in on the senseless murder of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman. The documentary focuses on both men who certainly came from different sides of the pond. We learn about Lennon's rise to fame and the various issues he had with the U.S. government before retiring from the spotlight. We learn about the various issues that bothered Chapman and how he went from idolizing Lennon to becoming obsessed and hating him. I've seen at least a dozen different documentaries on Lennon and all of them do a very good job at showing why he was so special and why the world really lost something when Chapman decided to fire off those five shots. This documentary really isn't any different and while we really don't hear or see anything new, the film is at least very well-made and features some nice interviews. We get clips of Chapman's interview with Larry King, which shows what a creep and coward this guy is. We also get new interviews with the police officer who arrested Chapman, the reporter in the hospital at the time Lennon was brought in and even the doctor who had to break the news to Yoko Ono. Again, I'm sure most fans have already seen these people interviewed but the film is certainly well-made and worth watching. Those not too familiar with the events will enjoy it even more.
8/10
The second episode in CNN's series taking a look at some of the most infamous murders focuses in on the senseless murder of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman. The documentary focuses on both men who certainly came from different sides of the pond. We learn about Lennon's rise to fame and the various issues he had with the U.S. government before retiring from the spotlight. We learn about the various issues that bothered Chapman and how he went from idolizing Lennon to becoming obsessed and hating him. I've seen at least a dozen different documentaries on Lennon and all of them do a very good job at showing why he was so special and why the world really lost something when Chapman decided to fire off those five shots. This documentary really isn't any different and while we really don't hear or see anything new, the film is at least very well-made and features some nice interviews. We get clips of Chapman's interview with Larry King, which shows what a creep and coward this guy is. We also get new interviews with the police officer who arrested Chapman, the reporter in the hospital at the time Lennon was brought in and even the doctor who had to break the news to Yoko Ono. Again, I'm sure most fans have already seen these people interviewed but the film is certainly well-made and worth watching. Those not too familiar with the events will enjoy it even more.
8/10
