Lonely Hearts (2006)

Based on the true story, two homicide detectives track Martha Beck and Raymond Martinez Fernandez, a murderous pair known as the "Lonely Hearts Killers" who lured their victims through the personals.

Director:

Todd Robinson

Writer:

Todd Robinson

Stars:

John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Jared Leto

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Travolta	...	Det. Elmer Robinson
James Gandolfini	...	Det. Charles Hilderbrandt
Jared Leto	...	Ray Fernandez
Salma Hayek	...	Martha Beck
Scott Caan	...	Det. Reilly
Laura Dern	...	Rene Fodie
Michael Gaston	...	D.A. Hunt
Bruce MacVittie	...	Det. Eastman
Dan Byrd	...	Eddie Robinson
Andrew Wheeler	...	Det. Tooley
Alice Krige	...	Janet Long
Dagmara Dominczyk	...	Delphine Downing
John Doman	...	Chief MacSwain
Bailee Madison	...	Rainelle Downing
Ellen Travolta	...	Ida

Storyline

In the late 1940's, Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez were America's notorious "Lonely Hearts Killers". Their lethal scam was simple; they would swindle and then viciously murder lovelorn war widows who would answer their personal ads in which Ray would describe himself as a sexy Latin Lover. Ironically, Ray's initial introduction to Martha was as a prospective mark. But when they met, it was love at first sight, perhaps as a result of their penchant for kinky sex and their mutual love for duplicity and easy money. With Martha posing as Ray's sister, they bilked elderly spinsters and widows of their savings and then viciously murdered them in a bloodbath of sexual frenzy. When they were arrested, Martha and Ray confessed to 12 killings, although it is believed the actual number is closer to 20. At their sensational trial, Martha and Ray cooed, held hands and seemed as though they could not get enough of each other. Their plea of not guilty by reason of insanity was rejected, and on ...

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Plot Keywords:

detective | death | murder | sexual attraction | stabbed during sex | 

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Taglines:

Love kills.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and sexual content, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

3L Filmverleih [de] Metropolitan Films [fr]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 2006 (Taiwan)

Also Known As:

Lonely Hearts Killers

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$80,423 (USA) (13 April 2007)

Gross:

$187,389 (USA) (4 May 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Millennium Films, Emmett/Furla Films, Equity Pictures Medienfonds GmbH & Co. KG III

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The director's grandfather was Elmer C. Robinson, the cop who investigated the Lonely Hearts murders.

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Goofs

After the police find the blood under the floor boards in Fernandez's house, we hear Hildebrandt's voice-over that the cops just missed the couple as they were 5 miles away in Seaford, NY buying a flop top car. Fernandez's home was in Valley Stream which is close to 20 miles away from Seaford, not 5 miles.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Det. Eastman: [to Robinson] Hey, we're all proud of you buster... Charlie... Small town cop dropping a pair like this. You wait a a lifetime never even sniffling this guy.
[chuckle]
Det. Eastman: You want to make a move to the burbs, you let me know. It's a phone call. Hey, maybe you wanna through the switch, I can fix that too.
[laughs]
Charles Hilderbrandt: You're such an asshole.

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Connections

Featured in Cinemania: Oi pio diavoitoi dolofonoi: Alithines istories! (2009)

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Soundtracks

"PARTY MOOD"
Written and Performed by Jack Trombey
Published by Rouge Music (PRS)
By Arrangement with Media Creature Music

User Reviews

Go See This Movie!

This is a great movie. Salma Hayek is believably psycho, it makes me wonder. Jared Leto did a great job as the small time playboy turned killer. Travolta, Gandolfini and Caan flow through the movie with a genuine discomfort. As if they were detectives hoping to find that one shred of evidence that breaks the case. With this list of stars you would think it would be a brawl for attention, but alas a director keeps it all in check. Writer/Director Todd Robinson is the grandson of Elmer C Robinson (John Travolta) the lead detective on this case. He draws from the stories passed down to him. The kind of story that grandfather's pass down to grandson's. Truly a great piece of work. See this movie and try to prove me wrong.