The Night Stalker (2016 TV Movie) User Reviews

Lou Diamond Phillips performance was wasted in this fictional lawyers account

[Ed-Shullivan · 7/10 · 24 February 2018]

Lou Diamond Phillips stellar performance as the serial killer Richard Ramirez was simply wasted playing opposite actress Bellamy Young who plays a fictional lawyer named Kit (Katherine) whose own life was supposedly haunted by the real Richard Ramirez's 1980's killing spree as the infamous Night Stalker as she lived in the California area.

Yes, the majority of incidents described as happening in Richard Ramirez's teens and the film's killings outlined in this fictional biopic actually occurred and are attributed to Richard Ramirez's murderous spree. However, this film focuses on Ramirez's time in captivity and his interactions with the female lawyer Kit, who meets with Ramirez over four (4) consecutive days in an attempt to record a confession for a double murder that another man will be executed for committing if Ramirez will not admit to being the actual perpetrator.

The fictional drama occurs as Kit is reliving her own teen years while the Night Stalker is all over the news during his late evening robbery, rape and vicious murder spree. Kit has her own demons to live with and the interview scenes between Kit and the shackled Richard Ramirez (Lou Diamond Phillips) are worth watching the film if for nothing else.

I hope the now 56 year old Lou Diamond Phillips is provided an opportunity to star in a few dramatic major motion pictures based on this outstanding role as the Night Stalker, because he has certainly paid his dues carrying more than one film on his own broad shoulders and raising the bar on his fellow actors/actresses to follow his lead. "Lead" being the key word.

I rate The Night Stalker a high 7 out of 10 on Lou Diamond Phillip's outstanding performance.

needs more intensity

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 4 August 2017]

It's 2013. Kit (Bellamy Young) needs to get a confession from imprisoned killer Richard Ramirez (Lou Diamond Phillips) in San Quentin to exonerate her client scheduled to be executed in Texas in four days. Ramirez is a Satanist with fans, one of them being his adoring wife. There are flashbacks to teen Kit during the Night Stalker paranoia in the 1985 Los Angeles area as well as Ramirez's troubled life.

LDP has a good scraggly serial killer vibe but the interviews lack the scary horror intensity. The flashback structure doesn't allow for greater tension. Kit's journey does have a nice reveal but it may work better if the journey starts with a closer relationship to her client. The movie is simply missing something.

Poor Man's Silence of the Lambs

[bluesky-29189 · 6/10 · 14 May 2023]

It's like someone wrote a fanfiction based on Silence of the Lambs using Richard Ramirez as the bad guy. Clarise has demons in her past which affect her adult life; same with Kit in this movie. Kit's demons are somehow tied up with Ramirez's brutal murder spree. Like the fictional Hannibal Lechter, this fictional Ramirez senses that. I doubt the real Ramirez would have cared enough. That said, Lou Diamond Phillips was incredible in the role and the movie was mildly entertaining when it didn't make me roll my eyes. I wasn't surprised the movie was associated with Lifetime, though. Rating - 6/10.

Downright Terrifying to witness.

[thegamegkht · 6/10 · 3 August 2023]

When a killer himself confesses his crimes and he is saying that i did that for fun what do you expect from him?

Can you really commit a murder for fun?

Can you?

Richard ramirez is one of the dastardly human beings I have ever witnessed in life that you can ever encounter in life.

That is really a incarnation of evil and can cause you to tremble with fear and angst.

And he has no regard for right or wrong and how one suffers because of him.

The story conveyed in this movie is deeply intense and how a normal person can turn into a ruthless killer after enduring trauma during childhood that really damages you from the core and unleashes a force of vengeance!!

Lou Diamond Phillips is Chilling and Brilliant

[catfanatic888 · 7/10 · 28 August 2023]

Lou Diamond Phillips is Chilling and Brilliant in this account of the serial killer, Richard Ramirez aka The Night Stalker. Bellamy Young was miscast in her role opposite him. She is a very good actress but paled in comparison to her costar. She just seemed flat in their interactions which was a shame. If she had even tried to muster some intensity or strength, it would have made all the difference. Her character who was supposed to be a smart but slightly damaged lawyer, just came off as weak. The supporting cast was brilliant especially the young boy and man who played younger Richard. They not only looked exactly right but were fabulous in the part. The only thing that was troubling was the script which I felt was too sympathetic towards Ramirez.

Yeah nah not so great

[will-05196 · 4/10 · 19 March 2018]

The guy(s) who play Ramirez, both young and old, are pretty damn good. They don't quite glorify the man. The actor portrays a melodramatic vainglorious narcissist who is full of his own self-importance, intelligent but not the genius he imagines himself to be. That pretty much seems like the real Ramirez you see in interviews. The back-story is pretty accurate in terms of what happened in Ramirez's life. This isn't enough though to save it.

It was the chapter parts with the female lawyer that were kind of irritating. Found myself asking repeatedly "what does this have to do with Ramirez? She is in the park playing on the swing with her boyfriend - why!?!? And, um, she slept all night with her hand restrained in a leather cuff? Really. I get they are trying to give her character complexity and depth, ie "she has a dark side too!" but who cares, the movie is not called "Sexually Confused Female Lawyer", it is called "The Night Stalker".

The interview parts were like an attempt at a poor man's "Clarice vs Hannibal Lecter", not sure the point - the scenes were not as compelling or intelligent or insightful as the script writers or directors intended them to be. Boring stuff. Kept thinking "get on with it already".

I'm getting more convinced with time that there'll never be a better serial killer than (the original) Henry: portrait of a serial killer. They did that on a shoestring budget too.

The "Born to Kill" documentary on Ramirez is far more chilling (and insightful) than this film, but I hope it can serve as a break for Lou Diamond Phillips, he is a talent.

Kits mother

[lschwrk · 7/10 · 19 May 2020]

It's strange Kits air head mother does not get a mention here in the cast, seeing she had a talking role in the movie.

Still, good to see Phillips getting work

[billreinecke · 4/10 · 3 June 2018]

AS THE MOST HATED MAN in Cali. Thought he could break through from 'Young Guns''. Lol.

Brilliant Lou DP but horrible leading actress

[tan_anita · 1/10 · 23 November 2022]

Lou Diamond Phillip is intense in this movie but my goodness the actress playing Kit (Bellamy Young) just can't act...her facial expression, body language and voice just don't match the intensity of Lou DP's character...couldn't bear to watch her..had to fast forward a couple of times....her face just stays the same in each scene..she couldn't even shed a single tear at the ending scene when she was recording..

Story is a bit odd...not sure why Kit has to even answer any questions and reveal herself to a serial killer..doesn't make sense. I think the movie will be much better if the actress playing Kit is not Bellamy...

Brilliant Lou Diamond Phillips

[aceellaway2010 · 8/10 · 19 December 2016]

Lou Diamond Phillips gives a Brilliant and mesmerizing performance as Ramirez "The Night Stalker". It's a wonderfully sustained characterization, and deserves probably more attention that it will get. In truth it's an award winning performance and should be remembered at the time Emmy's are distributed. Unfortunately the female role is nowhere near as interesting. Whether this is a fault of the writer, director or the actress, she just seems so much less interesting than Phillips.

But Phillip's performance is so good, h never stoops to the obvious and makes no effort to ingratiate himself or the part he's playing. I have never been a particular fan of his, but no I will pay more attention.

At least tell the true story!

[dracforever · 1/10 · 11 December 2022]

If you are a true crime reader this is not the movie for you. It's a woke rewrite of the truth. How ANYONE could even think to portray this monster as any type of redeemer is unconscionable. The rewriting of fact to save the fragile sensibilities of the "innocent" is not the way to tell these kinds of incidents. It can be told in a PG way but, not by gross distortion or blatant change. Ramirez needed to be caught, convicted, and locked away, period. What he did was reprehensible. Attempting to change history to be less traumatic does no justice to the victims of his heinous acts, let alone the resultant trauma to their loved ones lives. The makers of this should be ashamed of themselves, smdh.

Dark story filmed in the dark

[TKBlackburn · 8/10 · 18 December 2016]

Writing & Directing sounds fun, but you control too much. You are blind to your own weaknesses without checks. This is why it takes a team to make a film.

Story is definitely dark, & the tone is appropriately dark.

However, much of the film is so dark it's not watchable. Pivotal scenes. I changed the settings on my very good TV to brighten up as much as possible. Didn't help enough. No idea what was happening in a few scenes.

Well told true story with a couple twists & turns. But there's too much dialogue in light scenes, & too much action in dark scenes.

One ominous note underscores nonstop from start to end.

Lou Diamond Phillips delivers as usual. Good performances, just a bit overshadowed by bad production decisions.

Chilling and Sad

[theredhairedcrow · 8/10 · 15 June 2016]

Richard Ramirez, the Satan worshiping "Night Stalker", was someone whose crimes and life I was required to study years ago, one of other serial killers for a criminal justice class. He stood out at one of the more understandable, among the many I researched both from personal and academic interest, because of his background: traumatized in several ways from an early age. Ultimately, however, his crimes were horrendous, extreme and effectively should end any sympathetic tendencies towards him as a convicted criminal who confessed to many of his crimes.

Engrossing, chilling and brilliantly acted by Phillips, Ramirez was "Brought to life" with all his cold intelligence and vulnerabilities in place. The subtle expressions, or at times lack thereof, the shift of eyes, the sudden violence. I felt his performance wasn't quite matched by Bellamy Young, but she was entirely believable. She played the lawyer Katherine "Kit", trying to get a confession from him about a crime another was wrongly accused of. The film revolves around the conflict between the two, as she seeks to gain his trust to draw more details of his crimes, which he astutely ascertained, and he to gain something from her he was denied in prison: a female victim he could exploit for his own needs. He sensed vulnerabilities beneath her cool self-assured facade, and sought them out, whether from simple curiosity or true malignancy is for the viewer to decide.

Ramirez' history, his background and the traumas and events directly influencing what he became were shown through flashbacks, a wise choice considering Phillips age, and since he was portraying the killer shortly before his death. The young Ramirez' performance was okay, and the vaguely seen crimes and his eventual capture were understated but at the same time dramatic.

Though many details were left out about the crimes, and the most atmospheric part of the events: the intensity of the hot weather when most occurred was mostly absent, just references or dialogue. I felt that should have played more of a factor in filming, but overall "The Night Stalker" was well done. Rewatchable at least once, to catch nuances one may miss, a quick scene or glance from the characters eyes, I feel most viewers may be left with the truth of the matter. That it was a tragedy all around, absolutely for the victims, but also for Ramirez as a child and young teen. Sympathy for the terrorizing adult, a cruel rapist and murderer? No way.

The Mark of the Stalker

[KillerRomance · 8/10 · 25 February 2017]

As a Horror/thriller/Suspense movie fan I do treat True Crime movies with a more discerning approach because they actually happened.

This movie is a fictionalised story between two characters in this portrayed production. Kit (Bellamy Young) is a single, unmarried Woman who embarks on a client's case to clear his name on a Mother and Son that were found murdered and Kit thinks Richard Ramirez the infamous Night Stalker (Lou Diamond Phillips) is linked to this crime. The visitations turn into a cat and mouse game as Kit finds a forgotten and deeper side to herself as Ramirez gets into her mind. Is she a victim herself or does she have a seedy and dark hidden past? All is revealed in this movie. There are flashbacks of Richard's past which was succinct.

The Set captures the claustrophobic and dungeon like death row cells of San Quentin, photography and camera angles are superb, Lou Diamond Phillips does a bravado performance and he can't go wrong with doing Richard's darkest and deepest violent sexual fantasies. The repetition of Richard Ramirez political and intellectual quotes that every true crime buff already knew about is in almost every line was a bit frustrating as the movie SPECK when the dialogue wasn't a script it was meshed quotes of different killers, the Night Stalker had everything that Ramirez said in every televised Interview and I longed for something different because he is a very interesting Guy to listen to and a more expansive script for Phillips would befit the fine performer that he is. Bellamy Young is not bad but she lacks to deliver in the final segments in the film, I felt Coleen Porch from Baby Blues (cradle will fall) would play the part because I imagined she would equalise Phillips dangerous side. Benjamin Barrett was good as the Teenage Ramirez but it seems like it was forcibly done in a rush which was a pity, he was absorbing and I wanted to see more of Barrett's performance.

The movie is good but not perfect. I look forward to watching a movie on Richard Ramirez full Biography like Dahmer and Bundy because the man's fateful, troubled and disturbing life is yet to be told plus there is not a film based on his life yet. Doesn't matter if you feel a kinship with Richard Ramirez or you despise him, he is still a fascinating person to watch even after his death.

Nice Taut Tense Thriller

[Stoshie · 8/10 · 15 February 2021]

I'm going to agree with most of the written reviews here, and go against the overall score this movie got. I am usually very critical of TV movies, but this one was as good, or better, than most feature films.

I thought the acting was first-rate, and the direction was excellent, too. The movie had an aura of danger and suspense about it that most thrillers do not. Of course, that was aided by the foreboding music that lay beneath many of the scenes. But that's OK.

It also helped that the hero, if you want to call her that, was nearly as damaged as the bad guy. She had her own demons, and acted out in ways harmful to herself as a result of them. You don't often see that in these movies; usually the good guy is, well, good, and not nearly defined in depth as the one here was.

This was a good psychological thriller, with both main characters exhibiting deep flaws that are examined nicely.

I know the basic story of the Night Stalker was accurate; I don't know if the plot of the movie was, though. But still, it is very good.

My only complaint is regarding the credits, and has nothing to do with the movie itself. Here on IMDB Annalisa Cochrane as "Mary" gets top billing. That makes no sense; she is only in the movie for one brief scene. She isn't even close to being a main character. So why put her at the top of the cast credit?

666

[jmiecar · 10/10 · 29 March 2021]

Woohoo, im the unlucky 666th review!

Do i win a prize?

See you in Disney Land...

Lou Diamonds had me convinced he was The Night Stalker.

[KatMovieLuver · 8/10 · 22 July 2023]

I was surprised at how good Lou Diamonds Phillips was as the night stalker. At times his eyes look absolutely evil. He plays an older Richard Ramirez that has been in prison for many years.

A female lawyer, Kit comes to visit him to try and get him to confess to a murder. Richard has never confessed to this murder. Another prisoner sits on death row for the murder. The other prisoner only has days till his execution.

Richard tells the lawyer you must give something if you want something back. Kit struggles with her childhood trauma and never has told anyone her dark secrets.

Some of the movie is flash backs to Richards's childhood and teen years. They did good job with the younger actors looking a lot Ramirez.

Ramirez's is struggling with his health and time is running out. Will Kit confess her dark secret to get the confession from the night stalker?

Best scary serial killer movie,

[elad-18885 · 10/10 · 2 December 2023]

I became very curious about the minds of serial Killers. And I've watched many movies like Silence of the Lambs, and a very disturbing real documentary on the Australian town called Snowtown about kids who were groomed to kill from an older boy. That film was the most disturbing & I did find out that 2 of the killers are still in prison, from that town. Lou Diamond Philips did an awesome job playing a very evil man. I was on vacation in Wisconsin when Jeffery Dahmer was caught. Ed Gein is from Wisconsin also. Most interesting. And creepy. I now make sure all my doors are locked, even when I'm home.