I know everybody keeps saying she's miscast which I agree but besides the looks I think she was horrible in this movie. I usually think she's a decent actress and I like her but in this movie I couldn't stand her. She was so irritating. And I was surprised how many people loved her in this movie. I don't blame everything on her though the script was pretty bad. Does anybody else feel this way.
shareYeah, I gotta agree with a lot of the others, I thought she was great. It didn't get me down that she was half the size of the real Martha Beck ... who I think had been married so hence the English surname, so that could explain why someone like Salma could have an accent; with America being the melting pot that it is, people having names that don't seem to match doesn't necessarily have to be explained, imo.
I looked to see if she had been nominated for an award ... I think she should have been nominated for an Oscar. Sometimes really good movies are overlooked by the Oscars because they are in some genre that is not welcomed, such as crime or comedy. I hadn't known about this Leto performance either; I'm not a big fan ... think I like his music better than his on-screen appearances ... but he really did prove he could act here long before he got his supporting actor trophy. :)
This is THE WORST "based on a true story" or even "based on actual events" movie I HAVE EVER SEEN! Titanic is more accurate! Talk about cherry picking facts from fiction...MY GOODNESS! First off, instead of Salma Hayek, Ricki Lake should have played Martha. On wait! She's thinner now...Okay, what about the chick who played the lead in the Hairspray remake? You know, the actress that was thrown out of Hollywood and was working at that ice cream store that has recently gone out of business...I MEAN, SERIOUSLY! I GET WHY they had a hottie play Martha. They needed the love story between Martha and Ray to be believeable. Superficially, they succeeded. But the REAL MOTIVE behind Martha participating in the killings was because being an overweight woman, she was a lonely heart who Ray was her predator. He preyed on lonely hearts, even before they hooked up. He found the perfect partner in crime in Martha because she knew her fat @$$ couldn't get the attention of another thin good-looking man again. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her. She only became more involved in the killings after she became jealous (rightfully so IMHO) of Ray getting into fake relationships with more women to con them, steal their money, and kill them.
Other inconsistencies with historical facts:
1) The girl (I believe portrayed older than the real girl killed) was killed by Martha right after her mother was killed. Martha said to Ray, "I'll take care of the baby."
2) There was no dog or tricycle. The real Martha and Ray didn't need to get the dog or tricycle because Martha killed the girl right after Ray killed the girl's mother. And I believe the reason he killed the girl's mother was because she saw him without his toupee and figured out he was a fraud. Martha didn't have any hand in killing the mother. She didn't poison her or had to coax Ray to pull the trigger.
3) I believe the side love affair story between Travolta and Dern's character was completely fabricated, and not really germane to the real life plot.
4) In actuality, it took about 4 hits of electricity for the State to execute fat Martha.
Source: "Investigate: Deadly Women"