MovieChat Forums > Adam (1983) Discussion > Confused.

Confused.

posted 15 years ago by charlimcbean
10 replies | jump to latest

I don't mean to be disrespectful saying this but I didn't like the film - I found it quite confusing and thought that it didn't make much sense. It kind of jumped around and didn't explain key elements of the real life story. It only made real sense to me when reading the synopsis provided by the TV.

e.g. Towards the end of the film Adam's father mentioned that Adam had been taken over 100 miles out of the locality and this was where him and his wife had experienced problems in getting help to investigate Adam's disappearance. Why wasn't this explained earlier?

Also, none of the details of whow Adam was killed or about the investigation were really explained - i.e. if they caught the killer or had leads or whatever.

As I said I don't mean to be disrespectful I just thought the film could have been done better especially as it's on such an important issue.

RIP Adam Walsh.

Hmmmm puzzler. Bit of a puzzle.

[–] LittleMissSunshine1993 15 years ago

Okay its been a long time since I saw the movie so I don't recall the details surrounding the movie itself, but I'll say what I think given what I can remember.

First, I really thought they discussed in the movie about the difficulties that had because the case fell into other jurisdictions. I may be wrong or may be just remembering what happened in real life as opposed to the story, but I thought all of that was talked about in the movie.

Second, this movie was made only 2 years after the disappearance and murder of Adam, so probably at that point they still didn't really know exactly what happened. Also, since the case was still unsolved at that point they probably didn't want to give too much information to the public so that when and if the real killer (who of course we now know to be Ottis Toole) came forward they would know for sure if it really was him plus I would think that since John and Reve were involved in the filming of this that they didn't want to exploit the murder of their child.

[–] sjmblue 15 years ago

This was filmed only 2 years after Adam's disappearance and until Dec 16, 08 the case remained opened. Major details of the crime are still unknown. Otis Tootle first confessed to killing and beheading Adam the night after the movie first aired. The investigation into Adam's disappearance was blotched and key evidence disappeared. There was no investigation protcol in 1981 into missing children cases. Police departments where not able to notify other counties, states or even the FBI of a missing child. John and Reve had to fight to get Adam's case national attention. They way missing children cases are handle today is because of Adam and the Walsh family.

[–] flashpenguin86 15 years ago

This may also help explain things: Up until 23 years ago, there was no Amber Alert and if a child was abducted and taken across state lines, authorities were apprehensive about getting involved. The FBI didn't work kidnappings---that was the role of the police. As John Walsh wrote in his book, the FBI was more concerned about the disappearance of an expensive thoroughbred horse than of a child. It took President Reagan signing the law to make the FBI get more involved.

As for Adam being found 100 miles from where he was abducted---Adam's HEAD was found floating in a canal; not his body--THAT has never been found. There was evidence to indict Otis O'Toole (lover and friend of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas) but at the time there was no DNA, FBI crime lab for assitance, and it was a pretty weak case. O'Toole was already in prison serving a life sentence so not much really could have been gained at the point at trying him.

Now that doesn't mean the O'Toole didn't do it---he did; he confessed, but then retracted his confession. He did it to taunt the Walshes'. It wasn't until recently that O'Toole was indentified as the killer and the case closed. The saddest part of all of this is that the Walsh family had to bury an EMPTY casket; the authorities couldn't turn over Adam's remains because they were evidence of a murder.

At least with the case closed, the Walsh family can now bury their son.

House: Hey I can be a jerk to people I haven't slept with. I am that good.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Alfonso1012 13 years ago

Otis Toole didn't kill Adam. It was Jeffrey Dahmer. The Hollywood police is the most laziest and forgive me for saying, dumbest police force on the face of the planet. OPtis Toole was a pathological liar and NOTHING he says can be taken serious. Otis Toole was a fame seeker. He ONLY confessed to doing it the night the movie premiered on TV. He wanted fame from it but after realizing he'd get the death penalty he retracked his statement. He knew the location of where Adam was found ONLY after being shown the photographs. If you guys love Adam as much as I do(I have a real passion for this murder as I lived in South Florida my whole life and have actually been to the "mall" and work two minutes away from it) you will look into it and read the book by Arthur J. Harris, Dahmer's little secret. It provides evidence police ignored. There's only ONE key factor that's missing to prove dahmer did it but in your heart you know it's him once you get the facts.

[–] bazmi 13 years ago

Thank you for that information.

[–] Mydoona 12 years ago

Jeffrey Dahmer didn't do it...he didn't kill boys, he killed men aged between 16-26..the youngest was 14 but looked 18...there is no way he would touch a child as young as Adam was.
I read the book you mentioned and there is no proof in it at all...He may have been at the same mall but I doubt it..

[–] The_King_of_Cool 10 years ago

I agree on Ottis. He was a liar so who knows what is true. But the murder of Adam doesn't fit the crimes of Dahmer.

People claimed to have seen him in the area, but eyewitnesses are often wrong. So you really can't take any of that for much. I'm not saying Dahmer isn't the killer, but based on his crimes it doesn't fit.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lulupalooza 10 years ago

The follow-up to this film, Adam: His Song Continues (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090589/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) may answer some of these questions. It was released only three years after Adam with most of the same actors. It's streaming on Netflix at this time.