The Boston Strangler
Boston Strangler is a 2023 American historical crime drama film based on the true story of the infamous Boston Strangler murders that occurred in the early 1960s. The film follows Loretta McLaughlin, a reporter who is the first to connect the murders and expose the Boston Police Department’s malpractice and incompetence. Directed and written by Matt Ruskin, the film stars Keira Knightley as Loretta, and is produced by Hollywood legend Ridley Scott.
The Boston Strangler murders were a series of 13 homicides that occurred in Boston, Massachusetts between 1962 and 1964. The victims were all women, and many were sexually assaulted before being strangled with articles of clothing. The case was one of the most notorious in American history, and it remains unsolved to this day.
The film explores the theory that the Boston Strangler was not a single individual, but rather a group of murderers taking on the same moniker to justify their own ends. The movie delves into the different modus operandi and the varying ages of the victims as the murders progressed over the years. In this article, we delve deeper into the plot of the film and try to answer all the burning questions about it. It additionally contains an ending explainer of the real-life events of the Boston Strangler.
Boston Strangler Plot Summary
Loretta, played by Keira Knightley, is the first reporter to connect the murders and break the story of the Boston Strangler. However, the Boston Police Department’s claims of having solved the case and that the criminal is already in jail and would remain there for a long time do not sit right with the families of the victims, nor with Loretta herself.
She wants to continue exposing the department’s malpractice and incompetence but is stopped by her editor and Jean, who had already taken on a different assignment. Loretta then contacts Crowley, a former Boston PD detective who had left the department disillusioned with his job.
While he did not initially agree with Loretta’s hypothesis that he already owned a copy of the DeSalvo recording, she finds copies of the recording on her desk the next day, the parcel marked “For my sister Sally,” the moniker Crowley had advised Loretta to use while trying to contact him.
Upon listening to the recording, both Loretta and Jean realized that the lawyer clearly showed DeSalvo photos of the crime scene to ensure that the confession matched the details of the case.
How does Loretta and Jean’s friendship evolve over the movie?
Loretta and Jean’s friendship in the movie evolved from a professional working relationship to a close personal friendship. At the beginning of the film, Jean was Loretta’s editor and had to push Loretta to take on the story of the Boston Strangler.
However, as the story progresses, Jean becomes more invested in the case, and she and Loretta work together more closely. Eventually, they form a strong bond and remain close friends even after the case was closed.
What motivated Loretta to pursue the investigation?
Loretta McLaughlin was motivated by her strong sense of justice and her belief that the victims and their families deserved to know the truth about the Boston Strangler case. She was also deeply disturbed by the Boston Police Department’s malpractice and incompetence in handling the case, which she felt had resulted in a false confession and a failure to bring the real perpetrators to justice.
Despite facing opposition from the police and her own editor, Loretta refused to give up on her investigation and was determined to uncover the truth at any cost.
What role did George Nassar play in the murders?
George Nassar is portrayed as a key figure in the cover-up of the Boston Strangler case. According to the film, Nassar was one of the prisoners who shared a cell with Albert DeSalvo, who was widely believed to be the Boston Strangler.
Nassar and his lawyer allegedly concocted a scheme to profit off of the case by offering to provide conclusive evidence in exchange for a large sum of money, and DeSalvo agreed to confess to the murders as part of this scheme. However, when DeSalvo later began to express doubts about the deal, Nassar killed him to prevent him from revealing the truth.
The film suggests that Nassar’s role in the case was significant, as he not only played a part in the cover-up of the murders but also acted as a driving force behind the false confession that had led to DeSalvo’s imprisonment.
While the exact extent of Nassar’s involvement in the case is not entirely clear, the film suggests that he was a central figure in the plot to profit from the Boston Strangler case and that his actions ultimately helped to perpetuate the myth of a single, psychopathic killer responsible for the murders. Later commentary has suggested the possibility of more than one perpetrator. The logistics of how everything was carried out are consistent with the modern view.
Were the confessions of DeSalvo and George Nassar real?
Eventually, Loretta manages to make contact with DeSalvo after she convinced DeSalvo’s brother to help her. DeSalvo agrees to talk with her in prison but is murdered that night. On a visit to the prison, Loretta is finally given the lead to another prisoner – George Nassar, the same man who had been cellmates with DeSalvo and also Daniel Marsh.
As Loretta finally sits across from Nassar and asks him the truth, Nassar reveals the entire confession was a ploy by him and his lawyer to earn money, especially the money promised in exchange for providing conclusive evidence in the Boston Strangler case. DeSalvo agrees to the confession because his lawyer promises him a book deal, which would earn him a payday of millions.
How did the DNA tests conducted in 2013 affect the case?
The DNA tests conducted in 2013 linked Albert DeSalvo to the thirteenth and final victim of the Boston Strangler murders, providing conclusive evidence of his involvement in that particular crime. However, the rest of the killings remained unsolved, and the case of the Boston Strangler was not considered officially closed.
Is the Boston Strangler caught?
The official version of events does not sit well with the families of the victims or with Loretta, the first reporter to connect the murders and break the story. Despite her editor and Jean’s opposition, Loretta wanted to expose the Boston PD’s apparent malpractice and incompetence.
She eventually contacted Crowley, who had left the Boston PD due to disillusionment. At first, Crowley does not agree with Loretta’s hypothesis that he already owned a copy of the DeSalvo recording. However, the next day Loretta finds copies of the recording on her desk, marked “For my sister Sally,” the moniker Crowley had advised Loretta to use while trying to contact him.
Upon listening to the recording, both Loretta and Jean realize that the lawyer showed DeSalvo photos of the crime scene to ensure that the confession matched the details of the case. These fumblings by DeSalvo were already recorded but DeSalvo was murdered before Loretta could speak to him.
Loretta then met with George Nassar, who had been cellmates with DeSalvo and another prisoner. Nassar revealed that the entire confession was a ploy to earn money, and DeSalvo had agreed to it because his lawyer promised him a book deal. Nassar killed DeSalvo to prevent the truth from coming out.
The movie implies that the case of the “Boston Strangler” was not solved because multiple murderers took on the moniker over the years. The film stresses the idea that a “singular identity” is a safer option for the public than acknowledging the truth about violence against women.
The commentary “Boston Strangler” tries to make about how a “singular identity” of the Boston Strangler as a psychopathic maniac is a safer option for the harried general public than acknowledging the basic truth about how the violence of a man killing a woman has unfortunately occurred with alarming regularity is an interesting and incisive one.
Despite the lack of closure, Loretta continues as an award-winning medical reporter at the Boston Globe, covering the HIV/AIDS crisis during the 1980s. She divorced James, and Jean remained her close friend. George Nassar remains in prison and is one of the few individuals still alive associated with the case.
The case of “Boston Strangler” is not solved either in the film or in reality. The movie stresses the theory of multiple murderers taking on the moniker of the Boston Strangler, committing the crimes to justify their own ends. The film offers a compelling portrayal of Loretta McLaughlin’s journalistic pursuit of the truth and the corruption and cover-up that she uncovers along the way.
Read More: Boston Strangler Movie Review