Lonely Hearts (2006)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Todd Robinson

Writer (WGA):

Todd Robinson (written by)

Release Date:

21 October 2006 (Taiwan)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Love can be murder.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Death | Murder | Femme Fatale | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Lonely Hearts Killers (Germany)
Amores asesinos (Argentina) (Mexico) [es]
Одинокие сердца (Russia) [ru]
Coeurs perdus (France) [fr]
Corazones solitarios (Spain) [es]
Dolofonoi gia monahikes kardies (Greece) [el]
Lonely Hearts (Italy) [it]
Lonely Hearts Killers (Finland) [fi]
Yalniz kalpler (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Finland:K-15 | Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 | Italy:VM14 | Australia:MA | France:-12 | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Japan:R-15 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA

Company:

Millennium Films

Trivia:

The real Martha Beck was of a very different stature to that of actress Salma Hayek and at the time of her death weighed well over 200lbs. On her execution day it was discovered that she would not fit into the electric chair so was seated on the arm rests when the fatal shock was administered.

Goofs:

Factual errors: 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.

Quotes:

Martha Beck: Has anybody ever loved you that much, detective? To kill or die... for you?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of 'Lonely Hearts' (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

GOT THAT FEELING

leto shines

two detectives, 'buster'Elmer C. Robinson (travolta) and Charles Hildebrandt (gandolfini) hunt two killers Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez played by salma hayek and jared leto.

basically the story is of two policemen chasing after two killers who, by posing as a single man and sister, enlist in finding their victims through the lonely hearts columns within newspapers and magazines.

on the acting side we'll start with the policemen first, travolta as essentially the lead cop in this movie is a somewhat torn man in his duty as a cop and in the loss of his wife, travolta soon finds a new lease,to speak of, by trying to capture the two killers, he is helped in this matter by gandolfini as his straight thinking,talking friend, but though the acting between the two is of an OK standing (gandolfini coming off stronger) the pairing doesn't come off as one would hope and it is slightly stale, more so within their dialog together.

the hunted pair,hayek and leto, have a better chemistry, despite what many have seen of hayek in this film, being wooden and poorly acted out, i'd give her a little more credit than the naysayers, mainly because the person she is portraying is of that type of person, soulless and wholeheartedly callous. her dominance shows through in her interpretation of a jealous and highly possessive person. but the real star who shines in this movie is leto, from his smile right down to the unsteadiness of his actions, movements,gestures are perfect and really shows us what his is capable of, could well be we are witnessing him in his prime, his ending is very well shot (credit to the director there, Todd Robinson).

a long and somewhat violent film, yet it leaves enough subject for conversation and reply value. in terms of what director robinson has achieve,well thats not much, mainly a wasted cast on a somewhat unfair choice in director (The director's grandfather was Elmer C. Robinson, the cop who investigated the Lonely Hearts murders). but still a film to watch.