Little Miss Murder

Authors: Matt
Location: Illinois

“Little Miss Murder”

Directed By: Bennett Miller
Written By: Dan Futterman
Produced By: Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, and Dan Futterman.
Cinematography By: Alan Ball
Editing By: Michael McCusker

Principal Cast:

Elle Fanning as JonBenet Ramsey
Susan Sarandon as Patsy Ramsey
Harrison Ford as John Ramsey
Cameron Bright as Burke Ramsey
Cillian Murphy as John Mark Karr
Laura Linney as Priscilla White
Kevin Spacey as Fleet White
Val Kilmer as Police Chief Thomas Koby

Tagline: "The infamous murder. The beautiful, youthful victim. The possible suspects. The sole confession. The numerous theories. What do you believe?"

Synopsis: 10 years ago, on the Christmas of 1996, a normal American family had a seemingly normal day. The two children, a boy and a girl, spent the morning opening presents while their proud parents took pictures and watched the excitement. As the day continued, the family prepared for a Holiday party at their friends', the Whites', house. After all of the Christmas festivities were over, the family returned home and the children went to bed. However, their lives would never be the same. The next morning, the daughter, JonBenet Ramsey, was nowhere to be found. The supposedly frantic mother, Patsy, found a ransom note and later notified the police. Local officials, from Boulder , Colorado , arrived at the scene but failed to take precautions of controlling the crime scene. Friends and relatives of the Ramsey family entered the house to comfort Patsy, John, and Burke. A police officer asked John and his friend Fleet White to tour the house and see if they noticed anything out of place. A trip into the basement confirmed John's worst fears. His daughter, JonBenet, was wrapped in a blanket and appeared to be dead. The worried father carried his daughter up the stairs and into the sad, yet subdued group of neighbors and relatives. Unfortunately, this action could have been responsible for a loss in evidence. There was an insufficient amount of substantiation, as well as some inadequate officials. There appeared to be no clear leads. John and Patsy Ramsey were both questioned. In addition, Burke, JonBenet's older brother, was considered a suspect. During the various interrogations, theories about what may have happened to JonBenet are witnessed. They include the idea that Patsy killed her daughter out of anger for her daughter having wet the bed. As time went on, the Ramsey family was still under an umbrella of suspicion. Almost a decade after JonBenet was murdered, her mother passed away from ovarian cancer. Then, a school teacher, John Mark Karr, made a confession that he had sexually assaulted and then taken part in the death of JonBenet Ramsey. He was flown from Thailand to the United States for questioning. Karr was eventually ruled out as the possible murderer in the case because of some DNA evidence that didn't match. A decade after the Ramsey case was opened, a question remains unanswered. Who killed the Little Miss?

What the press would say:

This film is the perfect look at what seemed to be the perfect murder. It does justice to the Ramsey case, in that it takes multiple looks at different crime scenarios. Elle Fanning is touching as JonBenet Ramsey. Although her actual screen time isn't that long, her presence fills the entire picture through flashbacks and the different theories. She becomes JonBenet. Susan Sarandon gives her best performance. The role she plays is very versatile. She takes on the challenge of playing a grieving mother, but also a possible murderer. Harrison Ford finally gives another good performance in an extraordinary movie. Cameron Bright is one of the most talented young stars in the business. He gives his best performance. Laura Linney and Kevin Spacey are amazing in their limited roles. Spacey's reaction to the discovery of JonBenet Ramsey's body is one of the most intense scenes in the film. Cillian Murphy continues his streak. He is great at playing the villain. Murphy outdoes himself, as he is better here than he was previously in Batman Begins and Red Eye. This is because Murphy embodied John Mark Karr throughout the picture. He is a lock for a best supporting actor nomination. Val Kilmer is back with a very real performance. He makes the audience feel for his character and all of the struggles that the Boulder police force had gone through. There was no better director to take this film. Bennett Miller has the touch. He directed Capote and the Clutter case with such care, and he even bested himself with the Ramsey case. The film that is somewhat reminiscent of JFK, is the best picture of the year. Every member of the cast comes through and makes this a brilliant film. Add in a great adapted screenplay and top-notch direction, and Little Miss Murder is the most controversial, and acclaimed film of the year.

Possible Oscar Nominations:

Best Picture
Best Director: Bennett Miller
Best Adapted Screenplay: Dan Futterman
Best Actress: Susan Sarandon
Best Supporting Actress: Elle Fanning
Best Supporting Actor: Cillian Murphy
Best Editing
Best Art Direction
Best Cinematography