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Raymond Fernandez (Jared Leto) is a con man who meets single, rich women through personal ads. Upon meeting Martha Beck (Salma Hayek), the two decide to join forces, and begin travelling the country, eventually murdering at least 12 who responded to their ads. Detective Robinson (John Travolta) and Detective Hildebrandt (James Gandolfini) are the homicide detectives who try to bring the couple to justice.
Based on a true story.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Despite a,at times,somewhat wayward script we both enjoyed this film.It certainly helps that it has such a good cast,but it also has a good sense of time and place and recreates the late '40's early '50's very convincingly.Jared Leto and Salma Hayek are the real stars of the film as the murderous couple who prey on women through the Lonely Hearts ads.Hayek is frighteningly real as the possessive Martha and Leto is equally convincing as the sleazily weak yet violent Ray.She is driven to murder through a form of twisted love,he more because he is afraid of her and because he wants the money.Travolta and Gandolfini are almost as good,Travolta especially as the tormented detective haunted by his wife's suicide.
Good direction too.There were a couple of times where I was second-guessing the outcome of a scene,expecting the usual,lazy,cliche,only to be confounded.But it is the script that stops this being great rather than good.Although it is clever and interesting it tries at times for too much.Having said that,it's a better script than most and I'd recommend this film to anyone who's looking for something a little more emotionally engaging than your average Hollywood by the numbers thriller.It's got a good script,interesting characters who're given enough time to develop,and is nicely shot with a good eye for detail.I would add,though,that it is not for the weak of heart because several scenes are genuinely disturbing,although not gratuitously.If you enjoyed Zodiac I think you'll enjoy this.
Good direction too.There were a couple of times where I was second-guessing the outcome of a scene,expecting the usual,lazy,cliche,only to be confounded.But it is the script that stops this being great rather than good.Although it is clever and interesting it tries at times for too much.Having said that,it's a better script than most and I'd recommend this film to anyone who's looking for something a little more emotionally engaging than your average Hollywood by the numbers thriller.It's got a good script,interesting characters who're given enough time to develop,and is nicely shot with a good eye for detail.I would add,though,that it is not for the weak of heart because several scenes are genuinely disturbing,although not gratuitously.If you enjoyed Zodiac I think you'll enjoy this.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The pursuit of two grifters by a rugged but damaged cop contains plenty of old Hollywood themes, but Lonely Hearts adds a grim realism to the process. The cops look like cops used to (big and bad and gray and old) with James Gandolfini setting the tone. They may not have the modern neon CSI but they follow "clews". Their prey are brilliantly played by Jared Leto as the oily confidence trickster preying on lonely women, and Selma Hayek as his possessive and psychotic lover. Taking a lover along when gulling a woman may seem to be a case of "three's a crowd" but Selma has a solution. The sadness of the lonely women, the sudden and thoughtless brutality of the killings, the strange logic of the killers and the dogged Inspector Javert give the film a sad quality that seems very much of its era.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Travolta and Gandolfini are brilliant in this atmospheric, true-crime thriller set in post-war America. It's vaguely reminiscent of LA Confidential but turns out, despite some moments of blood-soaked violence, to be telling a less bitter tale. LA Confidential was always going to end in tears: Lonely Hearts has at its core a story of a detective trying to make sense of his wife's ghastly suicide; trying to forgive himself, and trying to make amends. And that's only the sub-plot!
The major theme of Lonely Hearts is the rampage of a couple of grifters gone bad. They escalate from conning to murder and go on a spree which feels like the 1940's version of Natural Born Killers. I couldn't fault any of the lead actors in their gritty, naturalistic, occasionally shocking performances. Travolta was brilliant (watch his jaw muscles flexing while he doesn't say a word), and the scenes between him and Gandolfini were worth paying proper money for. The script us superb, even though some of the cop shop dialogue gets a bit mumbly and lost in the hubbub.
This should have been a huge hit at the cinemas. It's gem to watch on DVD. Thoroughly recommended. (Sexually explicit, BTW, so don't watch it with your granny...)
9/10
Worth watching if you liked:
Natural Born Killers [DVD] [1994]
L.A. Confidential - Special Edition [DVD] [1997]
Pulp Fiction (2 Disc Collector's Edition) [DVD] [1994]
The major theme of Lonely Hearts is the rampage of a couple of grifters gone bad. They escalate from conning to murder and go on a spree which feels like the 1940's version of Natural Born Killers. I couldn't fault any of the lead actors in their gritty, naturalistic, occasionally shocking performances. Travolta was brilliant (watch his jaw muscles flexing while he doesn't say a word), and the scenes between him and Gandolfini were worth paying proper money for. The script us superb, even though some of the cop shop dialogue gets a bit mumbly and lost in the hubbub.
This should have been a huge hit at the cinemas. It's gem to watch on DVD. Thoroughly recommended. (Sexually explicit, BTW, so don't watch it with your granny...)
9/10
Worth watching if you liked:
Natural Born Killers [DVD] [1994]
L.A. Confidential - Special Edition [DVD] [1997]
Pulp Fiction (2 Disc Collector's Edition) [DVD] [1994]
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A seemingly overlooked gem
This stylish film noir had everything with more grit that usual. The plot, faintly gruesome followed fairly standard detective murder fiction but it was done well. Read more
Published 7 months ago by G. Gavigan
Easy on the craziness side
I here compare this film with its model The Honeymoon Killers (1969)
The two films go together since the former is a remake of the latter. Read more
The two films go together since the former is a remake of the latter. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Jacques COULARDEAU
Gripping Elegance
One of the best detective films. The cast and performances are very well balanced, focused on the story rather than cast. The period setting and factual base also prevent it aging. Read more
Published 18 months ago by A. Perry
Honeymoon Killers
I have the original film 'Honeymoon Killers' and this is a by the numbers remake. However, it has the wonderful Salma Hayek in it, so can do little wrong in my book. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mr. P. Johnson
A woman's power of conviction
The meeting between con man Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck,becomes a deadly combination for the poor single women, who answer to Ray's personal ads. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Laura Carbunaru
one saving grace....
This film I had high hopes for the subject matter and the cast were very interesting but yes there is a big BUT the cast apart from Salma Hayek were very poor they were dull and... Read more
Published on 24 April 2008 by cheekywench84
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