This movie strays too far from the truth (although I will admit I loved the clip of the real Ricky at the end; walking into the courthhouse)
Richard was NOT caught by a man and a woman sitting in their car for 6 hours, it was not 14 weeks... etc. Does this annoy anyone else?
I have to agree. Why make a "film" based on real events if you don't plan on keeping even the broadstroke facts? It feels like exploitation of real victims, and paying a deep disrespect to those who actually worked on the case. All this to make a forgettable "thriller" make a few extra video rentals, by capitilizing on a known story and name.
shareI thought the moviemakers were going to do a film based on Philip Carlo's Book?
Richard CAN write, I saw samples of his letters. Actually, he roughly scrawled inverted pentagrams on the walls and victims bodies, not writing because he was too 'high' on coke, crack, columbia dust etc.
There was no Female cop on the case? and do we care about her, I mean really?
We wanted to know more about Richard, why he did it, and his mind.
not some stupid lady cop, if I wanted to know that, then I just go and watch Hunt for the Night Stalker crap again!
Oh! and one more thing, Richard is a Light-Skinned Hispanic, I thought Benjamin Bratt from Law and Order resembles him in appearance stature and height; he should have played Richard! Let us believe WE are with Richard on his Killing Spree.
I never heard of Bret Roberts, who is that Thespian? But at least they did not pick Freddy Prinze Jr, or Benedico Del Toro, which was the director's choice; they are too crap and unconvincing, these actors will not save this *beep* either.
Collecting little girls heads, place 'em in a row, and then crush 'em with a mighty good blow
The thing with his skin!! That bugged me so bad! I was watching Miss Congeniality and I thought that Benjamin Bratt would've been much better... and the thing with that woman cop just... ARGH.
WHy was Officer Louis on suspension? 'Cause he took the blame for letting lady cop in that house?
And even if the film was based on Philip Carlo's book... it was written by 100 hours of personal interviews with Ricky...
Later Slays...
Yeah? It is her job as a police officer to go in the house.
Maybe Women like that are the weaker sex with a poor sense of direction-->I said that, not you Jeff.
Remember the True Crime Series, Mugshots, when Philip Carlo talked about Ramirez' background, his ex-soldier cousin Mike teaching Richard some killing techniques on Animals. In the book Richard as a Teenager, took a job as a bell boy and he attempted Rape on one of the women undressing in a Hotel room, he later claimed that the woman raped him, and guess what! The officials believed him because the woman will not press charges on a minor. Well maybe the writer and the director could describe more details like that to let us dig deeper into Richard's mind.
I am glad you agree that Benjamin Bratt would have done a better act as the NightStalker.
Collecting little girls heads, place 'em in a row, and then crush 'em with a mighty good blow
Yes. I think you and I and all people who would show Richard (not ROBERT, as that stupid plot outline claims) should make a movie. This one just upsets me. They show nothing of the real Ricky. You need to get into his mind...
shareWell next time we should teach these movie makers on how to make a REAL movie.
Tarantino, watch and learn please!!
ps. to Doreen and Richard Happy se7enth wedding annversary
Collecting little girls heads, place 'em in a row, and then crush 'em with a mighty good blow
I totally agree with you guys...so far the "serial killer" movies that have come out have been either really good, or really bad (I liked Ed Gein and Gacy, but Nightstalker and Dahmer were disappointing).
You hit the nail right on the head: why make a movie about the Nightstalker and not even try to use the facts? The true story was interesting enough without embellishing it.
Is it really necessary for the actor to resemble the character? I think the actor has to make the viewer believe that the person is capable of the actions portrayed. In Gacy, we see a weak character who was capable of murder. I think the actor portrayed that personality convincingly. In reference to the hispanic cop, I think the writer was displaying the ineptitude of a rookie officer at a crime scene. Every action she took, the viewer saw the mistakes an officer can make trying to do their job. If you reacted emotionally or verbally to the characters behavior, then the writer succeeded in what they were trying to achieve.
shareErm... no offence but at the time Nightstalker was made Benjamin Bratt was 15 years too old to play Ramirez.
I know its not THAT important to look like the charatcer you're playing, but 15 years is a pretty big gap...
I read an article on the Nightstalker, including a picture of Ramirez. The guy they got to play him looked amazingly like that picture.
If I object to anything it is ignoring the fact that he raped and killed women in their 80's. And some were Asian. There's nothing like the movie suggests that Hispanics were targeted. Hence the conversation where the black guy is called racist is probably totally bogus.
Very true, Richard was a light skinned hispanic, when I looked at the casting and saw some white guy with dark hair, it turned my stomach in, being hispanic myself I have to say that the only thing that made this guy look even remotely Latin was those big lips of his which is a trait that doesn't reside in all Latinos, aside from that he looks just too white, Benjaminn Bratt would have been a much better option as Richard wasn't that incredibly pale in most pictures I have seen of him, he had darker skin than me. That's just so hollywood just like in Troy where they get people who look like Celts or Vikings or Saxons (Brad Pitt, Brian Cox, Brendon Gleeson, Diane kreuger etc.) to play Greeks, but this takes it to another level where they know for certain that he was a Latino, why get a white guy????
shareVery true, Richard was a light skinned hispanic, when I looked at the casting and saw some white guy with dark hair, it turned my stomach in, being hispanic myself I have to say that the only thing that made this guy look even remotely Latin was those big lips of his which is a trait that doesn't reside in all Latinos, aside from that he looks just too white, Benjaminn Bratt would have been a much better option as Richard wasn't that incredibly pale in most pictures I have seen of him, he had darker skin than me. That's just so hollywood just like in Troy where they get people who look like Celts or Vikings or Saxons (Brad Pitt, Brian Cox, Brendon Gleeson, Diane kreuger etc.) to play Greeks, but this takes it to another level where they know for certain that he was a Latino, why get a white guy????
share...that the makers of "Nightstalker" call Ramirez "Robert Ramirez". That's right - "ROBERT". This alone tells how much "research" went into this excuse for a movie, and how much "fact based" it is.
The earlier depiction of Ramirez's story, "Manhunt", was a slightly-better-than-average TV production (its quality noticeably improved by Sylvester Levay's superb, atmospheric score), and it had its share of goofs... yet, compared to "Nightstalker", "Manhunt" was 100% accurate Oscar material.
I am still yet to find Manhunt.
MY movie will be the best. I'm writing to Richard for the information, not sitting around reading a bunch of stuff that's been filtered through the mouths of twelve-year old babes.
"And then he picked up a sharp object and pointed it in her GeNeRaL dIrEcTiOn and ohmythatrhymeswitherection and I can't tell you anything more because this is just an information site, and a crappy one at that."
Ugh.
And my movie will have young Ricky. Not all that, Hey, let's smoke some crack in my car 'cause I'm so cool lookit lookit lookit me, I have no background in this movie that would explain why I sit in my car and smoke crack!!
[you.maggots.make.me.sick]
So it is a long wait, call me mad but despite him being a Serial Killer, he is really Good-Looking during the trial days. I must be the only one that sees him quite Handsome.
Collecting little girls heads, place 'em in a row, and then crush 'em with a mighty good blow
Nuh-uh. i think he's SO beautiful. there's a bunch of us who think that
Just bought Night Stalker by Clifford Linedecker (or w/e).... it's not.... so tasty...
[you.maggots.make.me.sick]
I know a few people that could play the major Characters in Phil Carlos book.
Richard's Cousin, Miguel (aka Mike)a sadistic ex-soldier from Vietnam could be played by Raymond Cruz ,who was in movies such as Drag Strip girl, Dusk til Dawn 2, and the Substitute. Raymond is the only actor that is close in resemblance to this Guy.
Gil Carillo looks like one of the cops in the movie, Lost Highway.
I seen footage pictures of Richard at 15 years of age leaning on a speakers stand with the United States Flag behind him, and remarkably looks like Ashton Kutcher with the long hair, the one dating Demi Moore at the moment. Ashton could play Ramirez as a Teenager being trained to kill by Miguel.
Alright! Ok! I know what you are thinking!! "My god! you mean that moron that was in dude where's my car? and That 70's Show "
It is true Ashton plays goofy characters but 'these' kind of actors are good when they get a big break to play dark roles, Ashton does have a cold look to him when he is serious.
There are other goofy actors who suprised us for example Robin Williams as a Killer in Insomnia, and Gary Cole as a sadistic Sheriff in American Gothic were excellent.
Collecting little girls heads, place 'em in a row, and then crush 'em with a mighty good blow
This movie was lame...Hey does anyone remember what 3 trailers were on that DVD??
shareum................................
no
[you.maggots.make.me.sick]
http://rickynighstalker.cjb.net
i just read that in june 2002 ricky was taken out of san q and put into a hospital for respiratory problems and that he has not written to anyone since...
i heard about the resp. problems but thought theyd passed?? does anyone know about this?
[you.maggots.make.me.sick]
He was wiiiiiiicked attractive during the time when he was captured and the early trial days. People think i'm nuts but whatev, he's sexy as hell.
share..It was since the day he collapsed in 2002, he is slow at correspondance at that particular point and onward, Shame!! He is very friendly and intelligent in his letters.
I agree with Bach Lover, he is b1tchingly Handsome, and incredibly sexy!
Chucky's Pin-UP Scream Queen Crowned Howling Monster B*tch of all Seasons
[deleted]
Oh! how I laughed so hard at your reply.
This is somebody who is called "REAL_DEVIL_MAN" are you a f@cking joker, or something?? I hope you are being ironic about your username there!!!
because it is in fact "very stupid" to have an Evil name and wanting to wish Richard dead, that is retarded- unless you are secretly warped and tersely obsessed about him, hence watching the Nightstalker movie like the rest of us, and no I am no brat, and by the looks of things- you are the many of righteously disgruntled people that will never understand why Richard is appealing to women worldwide- if I tell you a thousand times over, it will never sink though that thick skull of yours. Pardon! Fat and ugly!?!? oh! stop being an imbecile, I walk down the street minding my own business everyday and I get sober men of all races, and creeds, who like what they see, I have an IQ 0f 164, stupido! not me chico!! With a biological science degree, and a good Job, I am not nowhere near fat, ugly, nor stupid so get your facts right!
Christine Lee, Eva O, Bernadette Brazal are a few names of the many girls that are attracted to Richard during the trial (more than you ever will in one life time), and all these girls are bright and remarkably beautiful ladies.
So Instead of being verbosely condecending in making ridiculous a$$umptions "Angel boy", I reached to Dayle Ozakazi's nephew back in March 2001, and I did communicate with him- he did tell me Richie gives him the "creeps to this day" which I can relate- so I am open-minded to victims relatives.
Real devil man, like it or not, despite what Richard had done, he is distractingly attractive and draws hundreds of women to him over the years, like many dangerous men, such as Gladiators, and killers do for thousands of years in human history!! Get over it, you are another closet groupie, who is unhealthly obsessed and barks at other girls. Admit it, you know you want to Devil man.
By the way, if I spend vast amount of subsequent money in making a movie; an interesting project based on fact, and real life events, then no silly erratum's on dialogues should be made, it must be with care, commitment, and quality time! If you were a Teacher, would you give every kid a grade A+ in a movie presentation even if thier work is crap due to carelessness?? NO! of course not- therefore, you are a lying little "snitch".
Chucky's Pin-UP Scream Queen Crowned Howling Monster B*tch of all Seasons
[deleted]
I don't want to get people into bed, YOU STUPID Idiot!!
I respect myself more than you ever will in one life time.
What makes you the "beauty, and the brains of the year??"
You are not that brillant and content with yourself, OKAY!
I can tell, So you are the UGLY one!!
Because you got some serious problems, BIG TIME!
I never said I want to "do nasty with him" so don't be a silly B!tch!
Your little mind is playing tricks on you again.
Hitler and Arafat - why is a Palestinian freedom fighter got to do with this subject, he should not be on the same line, or compared with Hitler!?!
Are you Jewish?? Not that I care, (and to get too scientific and using complicated nomenclature, I don't want to waste my intelligence on cretins)
but simply, usually Jewish men are like skinny or fat ugly monkeys, and suffer retardation of mental nerve cell deterioration due to Tay Sach disease, mostly sounds like you, dear!
But Hitler!!
You do know your MEN do you??? Including Arafat!
Maybe you dream of being humped by them yourself,
you kinky b@stard!!
So F@ck off if you don't like what I am saying.
Most People that write to Richard are actually fascinated and
don't always say
"I love you, or I want to f@ck you" - I don't openly
say stuff like that in my letters because I respect him,
as a Killer that he is, and plus he is Married -
there are lines I don't cross.
I hope that sinks in that thick ugly skull of yours.
Hey Jeffie B, Thanks for answering to this guy, but honestly,
don't waste your time on this pathetic lo$er,
because of his penile problem he is pi$$ed because
he has nothing better to do but to insult others to
feel better. REAL DEVIL MAN is a Sad dumb Jerk!!
Chucky's Pin-UP Scream Queen Crowned Howling Monster B*tch of all Seasons
Manhunt should have been 100% accurate as it was brought out if I'm correct only four years after Ramirez was caught, Nightstalker cannot utilize that factor as an excuse
shareIndependent film or not, they could have done alot better with this film as far as accuracy goes. I understand adding some drama and changing a few things for the sake of entertainment, but geez. If you want info on Richard Ramirez or any other serial killer go to www.crimelibrary.com . Its run by CourtTV, and as far as accuracy its about as good as you can get.
I was very disapointed by this film. I was hoping that it was going to be like "Gacy", "Dahmer" and "Ed Gein", all of which I highly recommend as they are very accurate and they dont focus a whole lot on the killings, but more on the killer. I understand based-on-fact, and loosely based-on-fact, but I have no idea where the screenplay adapter got their ideas from. The technical advisor, if they had one, should have been shot for their ignorance into police procedure and conduct.
And what was the detective with the New York accent doing there? I think that was the actor just trying to get into the part, but come on. I dont mean to pick, but they could have easily explained why he was on the wrong side of the coast in a 10 second dialog. All that was needed was "Yeah, this is So and So. He was on the Son of Sam task force and we are borrowing him". Simple, belivable and short.
The sound was awful, in addition to being out of sync on many occasions, I swear they recorded this film with one microphone that they must have salvaged from a Playskool karaoke machine. Before anyone flames me for spelling it Playskool, here is their website www.playskool.com . Im not even sure how this got into Sundance. Oh wait, that must have been where their budget went. Musically, it was ok. Just that. OK. And please dont read into that too much. The rights to play AC/DC, which would have been what he was listening to, are far too expensive to put in a film like this.
So please, if you absolutely wont listen to reason, then go rent this film. Dont buy it. If you like it, then feel free to give away your hard earned money to me as it would go to a much more worthy cause (like getting my film off the ground) they paying the directors bills.
Playskool Machine, You are funny! But I do agree, it should be a better movie- there was NO female cop on the case, it looked as if she had grunge with Men, like a feminist on PMT, to "git this bastuuuurd" in a Rambo fashion.
Chucky's Pin-UP Scream Queen Crowned Howling Monster B*tch of all Seasons
[deleted]
oh... the bitch is back
... and it speaks !!!
------------ TOUCHE!! what a paradoxical reply!! Speaking about yourself??
I thought of the same thing about you.
Oh! and I read your PM. Keep your "toy" okay! You never know when you going to need it, I'm not as desperate as you!! And your advice due to your "experience"....So no thank you, I will pass.
Chucky's Pin-UP Scream Queen Crowned Howling Monster B*tch of all Seasons
To the people who think this guy is "beautiful" and "sexy" etc...you guys are *beep* He had rotting teeth, hideous breath, horrible skin, and he was gangly as *beep* How can you find that attractive, not to mention he rapes and kills people, sodomizes children, and worships the devil? Get a *beep* life.
share[deleted]
>>>(he later claimed that the woman raped him, and guess what! The officials believed him because the woman will not press charges on a minor.)NO RICHARD WAS ARRESTED , BUT THE COUPLE LIVED FAR AND DECIDED TO DROP THE CHARGES , BECAUSE THEY DIDNT WANT TO TRAVEL BACK AND FORTH TO COURT
>>>(Erm... no offence but at the time Nightstalker was made Benjamin Bratt was 15 years too old to play Ramirez. ) BENJAMIN BRATT WAS BORN IN 1963 AT THE TIME OF THIS MOVIE HE WAS 39 YRS. OLD
>>>( there was NO female cop on the case,)THERE WAS A FEMALE ON THE CASE , BUT SHE WAS NOTHING IMPORTANT , JUST ON THE TEAM OF DETECTIVES HELPING .
>>>(sodomizes children,)HE NEVER DID THIS TO THE CHILDERN .
AND FOR THE RECORD, RICHARD LIKES AC/DC .. BUT ITS NOT HIS FAV. BAND
FACTS , GET THE FACTS ........
Benjamin may be a bit old, but still looks great - he could still play Richard because he looks like him a lot - like the actual mugshot on his arrest dated 12-12-84 for carjacking, the face, the stature, the height etc. Also lets not forget that it can be hard to find someone out of all the people in Hollywood in being convincing enough - to not only play the part but to look the part (Richard is different than most and looks caucasian with strong features or Latin with fine features and that depends due to your taste!), plus Ben is a very good actor - did you see the movie Traffic?
It is a shame there is not a wide selection of Latino actors to play Richard
In relation to your debate. Apparently another guy molested kids that was not related to Richard - in the Philip Carlo book, the police thought the child abuse was related to the Stalker, but no evidence covers that accept for one man - but it was not 'their man the Stalker'- even Judge Tynan dismissed the claims because it did NOT link to Richard's M.O.
Why People, including Writer, Clifford Lindecker call him a 'baby Raper' to this day, I still don't know. Maybe trying to make something more worse than it sounds for a reason to hate in extreme, which is a big mistake because out of morbid fascination, Richard is becoming the world's most popular Serial Killer
Chucky's Pin-UP Scream Queen Crowned Howling Monster B*tch of all Seasons
There are many Latino actors in Hollywood however as you said to find on to play as him...most of us Latinos are too short, heavily built and handsome to play lanky, gawky charcters such as Ricardo Ramirez. ;)
shareI did not know handsome south American midgets masterbate in front
of the mirror - SO THAT IS WHAT IT'S ABOUT?!?!
Well, I like them tall, Latin, dangerous, and VERY STUNNING to look at,
that turns young ladies mad
just like Mr Sexy Devil.
Chucky's Pin-UP Scream Queen Crowned Howling Monster B*tch of all Seasons
[deleted]
i live on the street in Glendale where he killed that couple so ive always been kind of interested in his story, ppl think it's weird, but whatevers...it scares me to think that we could have been living here at that time n barely missed it *i moved into this house in '88, n when we moved in all the windows were nailed and painted shut cuz the old woman who lived here was so scared of him*...cuz of my "morbid" interest ive looked up stuff about him n then i read Phillip Carlo's book n i was looking forward to watching this movie but i was so dissapointed by how wrong the facts were...the one thing nobody has mentioned that i find funny is the fact that the movie states he killed mostly Hispanics...i jus finished reading another book about him n it reminded me *which i was pretty sure of* that a lot of his victims were Asians, n at one point in the book it said he didnt kill ANY Hispanics...don't any of u think it's kind of messed up that a main component of this movie is a whole like "oh we're Hispanic cops n the Hispanic community is angry because this killer is killing us and the government doesnt care because it's not white ppl" theme??? i mean they pretty much state that at one point in the movie...i didn't like the whole "demon" thing either cuz i dont really think he ever got to that point where he actually like saw demons or anything, i think his whole Santanism was jus a mental thing he used to rationalize what he was doing...
as for everyone's arguments over whether or not he's cute or whether ppl r messed up for being attracted to him, get over it...i personally am not "attracted" to him altho like i said ive always been kind of fascinated with the story...i understand how ppl might be drawn to him because he does have an interesting story and personality i suppose u could say...high profile serial killers like him n Manson n whatnot will ALWAYS have supporters and followers, u can't do anything about it n arguing w/them about how they're wrong is futitle...obviously if ur at this messageboard n u watched this movie u must have SOME sort of interest in it urself, so jus chill out.
honestly tho, HOW could this movie have been a Sundance pick?? i was dissapointed...
According to the biography I read, the only reason he didn't kill more was due to the fact that the Chicano community in LA wasn't passive about crime. I don't know if that was because they were convinced that LAPD under Gates didn't give a damn if a few nonwhites got viciously murdered or it was just the way they were. Perhaps after Ramirez baffling the cops for so long they finally decided citizens would have to capture the criminal or no one would. Anyway, the facts as I read them is that he was chased down by a crowd of LA Hispanics after he tried to steal the prize car of one of them. In short, it was a CITIZEN'S arrest and cops arrived only after the civilians had subdued the killer. I hope someone in the LA government presented an award to that community for ridding LA (and a good portion of the California coast) of a campaign of terror.
One part I don't quite get after researching this a bit. What exactly were LA cops doing? He was stealing one car after another, so the department investigating car thefts should have been alerting homicide and everyone else of cars gone missing, ESPECIALLY when the murders became multiple. The other thing in the movie that puzzled me was all these peacefully sleeping people. How did they manage that when they knew there was this serial killer out there attacking sleeping people? I suppose it was another way in which the movie did not stick to reality. I would guess the first couple of nights after a victim was found, lots of people sat up drinking coffee all night. Or at least SOMEONE in a lot of houses was up standing watch. And if I'd been there, I think I'd have a pile of metal stuff by my entry doors so that entering my house would cause a huge a mount of noise. And if I went to bed and didn't have a gun, I'd have a nasty knife in bed with me.