Blue Caprice

Blue Caprice
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alexandre Moors
Produced by	Isen Robbins; Aimee Schoof; Ron Simons; Stephen Tedeschi; Brian O'Connell; Kim Jackson; Will Rowbotham
Screenplay by	R.F.I. Porto
Story by	Alexandre Moors; R.F.I. Porto
Starring	Isaiah Washington; Tequan Richmond; Joey Lauren Adams; Tim Blake Nelson; Leo Fitzpatrick; Cassandra Freeman
Music by	Colin Stetson; Sarah Neufeld
Cinematography	Brian O'Carroll
Edited by	Gordon Grinberg; Alexandre Moors
Production; company	SimonSays Entertainment; Stephen Tedeschi Production; Aiko Films; Intrinsic Value Films
Distributed by	Sundance Selects
Release date	January 19, 2013 (Sundance); September 13, 2013 (United States); ; ; ;
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$93,995

Blue Caprice is a 2013 American independent drama film directed by Alexandre Moors, and based on the 2002 D.C. sniper attacks. The film stars Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond as the perpetrators of the attacks, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Malvo, respectively, although the two are only referred to by their first names. It recounts how Malvo, a lone teenager, was drawn into the shadow of Muhammad, who served as a father figure to him, and how they eventually began their killing spree.

Blue Caprice also stars Joey Lauren Adams, Tim Blake Nelson and Leo Fitzpatrick.^[2] It was written by R.F.I. Porto. It debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. The film was released in theaters on September 13, 2013.^[3]

Plot[edit]

The movie opens with Lee separating from his mother in Antigua. His mother has to leave him at home due to her job. In subsequent days, as a lone teenager, Malvo comes in contact with John. Muhammad is living with his three children - one daughter and two sons. After spending some time together, Muhammad and Malvo move to Tacoma, Washington. Muhammad, along with Malvo, starts living there with his girlfriend, Angela (Cassandra Freeman). Muhammad starts introducing Malvo as his son. Muhammad subsequently meets his old time friend, Ray (Tim Blake Nelson), while going for a jog with Malvo. Ray introduces Malvo to guns. Malvo turns out to be a natural marksman. One day, Muhammad tries to contact his children in Maryland but is unsuccessful due to a restraining order. Frustrated by this, Muhammad comes home and has a spat with Angela over some petty issue. Angela subsequently throws both the men out of her house. Muhammad and Malvo move in with Ray and his family. Ray lives with his wife (Joey Lauren Adams) and toddler son. Malvo discovers a cache of arms in Ray's basement. Gradually, Muhammad brainwashes an impressionable Malvo into committing murders. Malvo commits his first murder by shooting a neighbor (Maya Woods) point-blank in the head. Muhammad encourages Malvo to commit more murders in order to pay back the favor of bringing Malvo to the U.S. Malvo commits his next murder by shooting a pub owner (Bruce Kirkpatrick) in the back and then robbing him. With the robbery money, Muhammad and Malvo buy a Caprice Classic. Muhammad subsequently teaches Malvo to drive. Muhammad also modifies the car trunk so as to make a rectangular slit in the rear which is later used to shoot a sniper rifle from. John Muhammad and Lee Malvo subsequently conduct a siege of terror on the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. They conduct a series of random shootings in public places. They use a rifle fired from the trunk of a blue Chevrolet Caprice. One night, while parked in a no-parking spot, the local police department catches up with them and subsequently the FBI is shown as taking over the investigation. After five months, Malvo is held in Graymore State Prison, Virginia. He is visited by a female lawyer (Linda Powell) who tries to question him about the motives of all the random killings. Malvo remains stubborn and asks, "Where is my father?" The movie closes with Aspen Hill City Police escorting Malvo back to the prison cell.

Cast[edit]

Isaiah Washington as John
Tequan Richmond as Lee
Joey Lauren Adams as Jamie
Tim Blake Nelson as Ray
Leo Fitzpatrick as Arms Dealer
Cassandra Freeman as Angela
Abner Expósito-Seary as John's little boy

Distribution and release[edit]

After premiering at Sundance, IFC's Sundance Selects acquired domestic distribution rights.^[4]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

Blue Caprice received generally positive reviews from critics. The film has a "certified fresh" score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 77 reviews with an average score of 7.3 out of 10. The critical consensus states "Smart, sobering, and quietly chilling, Blue Caprice uses its horrible true-life story -- and some solid performances -- to underscore the dreadful banality of evil."^[5] The film also has a score of 76 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 25 critics indicating "generally favourable reviews."^[6]

Box office[edit]

The film was given a limited release in North America in 36 theaters and grossed $93,995 in its entire run.^[1]

Graphic novel[edit]

In October 2013, it was announced that publisher Red Giant Entertainment would produce Public Enemies, a graphic novel based on the film, to be written by the film's screenwriter, R.F.I. Porto.^[7]