Lonely Hearts has some chilling moments

[George Bellefontaine]

In the late 40s a man named Ray Hernandez and a woman named Martha Beck preyed on lonely women and killed them for their money. They became known as the lonely hearts killers. The film is directed by Todd Robinson, who just happens to be the grandson of the real life detective ( Elmer Robinson ) who was obsessed with catching the killers and finally did. Det. Robinson is beautifully played by John Travolta and his partner is James Gandolfini. These two actors actually lived in the same neighborhood as kids so there is great chemistry here. The male killer ( Ray ) is played by Jared Leto, and he is amazing. Playing against type as Martha Beck is Salma Hayak and as beautiful as she may be, she will make your flesh crawl in this role.

So good actors, good true crime story, and an atmospheric neo noir presentation should make it a winner, right ? Well, not in my opinion. The real problem as I see it is the director's effort to tell two stories, rather than concentrating on one: the crimes and the detective work that got the killers caught. The second story is about Todd's grandfather, the suicide of his wife, etc., that just seemed like extra baggage. But don't let this stop you from seeing this film. It is well worth the effort and there are some real chilling moments, especially during the killings themselves and when Beck and Hernandez are executed. You won't forget those scenes.

So despite some minor shortcomings, I still give this a big :T