Mark Harmon does the job quite well, changing from overall nice guy to rather schizoid boyfriend to all out madman - though I prefer the performance of Michael Reilly Burke in 'Ted Bundy' from 2002. There are hardly any graphic scenes in this one (again, you wíll find them in 'Ted Bundy' with Burke), except in the end when things get pretty gruesome; up until then mostly some eerie tones from a synthesizer - brilliantly done! - and the screen fading to black are all we get.
The parts with the police (at work and at home) are corny at times, but this two part TV-movie stays interesting and builds up quite well. Some scenes dig deeper into the circumstances of the victim's families, which in itself could be a good approach, but I found the acting to be somewhat over the top. The angle of journalist Larsen sheds light on how people in Bundy's environment were completely fooled by Bundy's fake persona, and at the same offers a glimpse of his dabblings in politics, which make 'The Deliberate Stranger' quite a complete picture - except that it pretty much lacks, as noted before, a very important part of Bundy's story; the actual murders.
The look of it all - it helps that it was made in the '80s - is quite nice and is the only thing - next to the soundtrack - that really makes it better than 'Ted Bundy'. I'll say it again: I prefer the the 2002 film to this one, for its brutal and up front portrayal of the beast that Bundy in fact was.
Still, no less than 7 out of 10.
The parts with the police (at work and at home) are corny at times, but this two part TV-movie stays interesting and builds up quite well. Some scenes dig deeper into the circumstances of the victim's families, which in itself could be a good approach, but I found the acting to be somewhat over the top. The angle of journalist Larsen sheds light on how people in Bundy's environment were completely fooled by Bundy's fake persona, and at the same offers a glimpse of his dabblings in politics, which make 'The Deliberate Stranger' quite a complete picture - except that it pretty much lacks, as noted before, a very important part of Bundy's story; the actual murders.
The look of it all - it helps that it was made in the '80s - is quite nice and is the only thing - next to the soundtrack - that really makes it better than 'Ted Bundy'. I'll say it again: I prefer the the 2002 film to this one, for its brutal and up front portrayal of the beast that Bundy in fact was.
Still, no less than 7 out of 10.