I saw the original cut from 1987, not the later one from 1992.
The film starts out much resembling the actual case on which 'Rampage' is otherwise loosely based. Bloody murders committed by a young man who seems to be plain evil, but has a troubled past and is psychotic. Then we follow a district attorney's day to day, who is against the death penalty (but will have a - temporary - change of heart during this case). He and his wife had a daughter with pneumonia and decided to 'let her go' once they learned she had become braindead due to complications. Then the film goes back to the murder case which becomes very complicated, and eventually just too vague. If you know about the real case of Chase, you'll be comparing all the while, when in fact the trial in the film goes on more and more to being about one dilemma: there seem to be no other options than A). The death penalty for the killer if he is to be found sane, or B). Treatment with the possibility of being set free once again if he is deemed cured... But where is option C). He may or may not be committed for a mental disease, but in any case this man is never to be set free again?!
In any case this film has enough intriguing material in it to stay interesting (it even refers to the horrors of WWII at some point), but in the end it's hardly coming rightly together, although some scenes are in fact quite touching. Some may not like the contrast that is shaped with the courtroom drama and the bloody horrors of the murders, but I can see how both need each other to get a point across - even if that goal is not reached here.
Finally, the acting isn't all that great, but overall doable with some highlights, as is the look of the film; there's hardly anything that is visually attractive, but again, it is certainly doable with a few highlights.
A small 7 out of 10, and I'm still curious about the later 1992 cut.
The film starts out much resembling the actual case on which 'Rampage' is otherwise loosely based. Bloody murders committed by a young man who seems to be plain evil, but has a troubled past and is psychotic. Then we follow a district attorney's day to day, who is against the death penalty (but will have a - temporary - change of heart during this case). He and his wife had a daughter with pneumonia and decided to 'let her go' once they learned she had become braindead due to complications. Then the film goes back to the murder case which becomes very complicated, and eventually just too vague. If you know about the real case of Chase, you'll be comparing all the while, when in fact the trial in the film goes on more and more to being about one dilemma: there seem to be no other options than A). The death penalty for the killer if he is to be found sane, or B). Treatment with the possibility of being set free once again if he is deemed cured... But where is option C). He may or may not be committed for a mental disease, but in any case this man is never to be set free again?!
In any case this film has enough intriguing material in it to stay interesting (it even refers to the horrors of WWII at some point), but in the end it's hardly coming rightly together, although some scenes are in fact quite touching. Some may not like the contrast that is shaped with the courtroom drama and the bloody horrors of the murders, but I can see how both need each other to get a point across - even if that goal is not reached here.
Finally, the acting isn't all that great, but overall doable with some highlights, as is the look of the film; there's hardly anything that is visually attractive, but again, it is certainly doable with a few highlights.
A small 7 out of 10, and I'm still curious about the later 1992 cut.