Lonely Hearts (2006)

I love this movie so much

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Good start, but then it gets ruined

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

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. Lonely Hearts stars John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Jared Leto, James Gandolfini, Scott Caan and Laura Dern. This film received better reviews than i expected it to and currently has 6.5/10 on IMDb and 60% on Metacritic unfortunately it got a 5.6/10 and a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes and i do understand some of it's flaws that it might had for example i felt that the chemistry between Laura Dern and John Travolta could have been better but on the same time it wasn't that bad either but i think that the best part of the movie was Leto and Hayek and their chemistry was good unlike some other reviewers said and it shows how mad they both were. The performances from all the leads were good with Salma Hayek and Jared Leto stealing the show for the most part. The film could have done some things better like the chemistry between Dern and Travolta or even James Gandolfini's character that was kinda forgettable and had zero character development but for the most part the film had good performances and a good amount of Drama around it. (9/10)

The real-life story of Ray Fernandez and Martha Beck is quite compelling. They teamed up in the early 1950s to swindle lonely old ladies out of their fortunes. That storyline is presented directly and clearly in the 1969 movie "The Honeymoon Killers".Unfortunately, the same storyline gets lost in "Lonely Hearts", a drab, dreary, really dreadful movie less interested in the Fernandez/Beck plot than in the promotion of Hollywood celebrity Travolta, who plays an obsessed cop on the scent of the depraved duo. After the first few minutes the viewer easily gets the drift of this film.Every time Travolta, or his cop buddies, came into view, I fast-forwarded the DVD. What I wanted to see was Fernandez and Beck, not some irrelevant cop, and surely not a cop played by Travolta, an actor who needs to retire. With every movie he makes, he looks worse and worse. His cop buddy here, played by James Gandolfini, is hardly any more appealing, with all that unnecessary bad language. And the inclusion of the totally untalented Scott Caan makes a mockery of the casting. But it gets worse.The real Martha Beck was heavy, even fat. Here, they cast thin, voluptuous Salma Hayek to play Beck. Clearly, the filmmakers were not interested in historical authenticity. They probably reasoned, incorrectly, that viewers are ignorant of the facts in the case. Further, the pouty, one-note performance of Hayek is laughably embarrassing. She is another actor who needs to retire."The Honeymoon Killers" is a film that definitely has its weaknesses. But at least it focuses on what is important, the story of Fernandez and Beck. It is an honest movie. Anyone interested in the facts needs to watch that movie, not this one. "Lonely Hearts" is not far removed from outright mendacity, and is clearly aimed at promoting current Hollywood star celebrities at the expense of historical accuracy.

I loved the actor, the atmosphere and especially the music. While the story itself wasn't great, it was told greatly. - The timing was perfect. All in all a great watching experience was created. If only I would have found the murdering couple more convincing. They have been drawn way too likable and "nice". It was simply unbelievable that those two sympathetic people could commit those crimes. (That goes especially for Jared Leto. Salma was able to convince me to be a beast most of the time.)The other problem I had, was the story around the detective Travolta. I didn't find it very interesting, and I believe it barely fit to the main theme of the movie.After checking IMDb I realized that this movie was based on a real story. Knowing that, I believe that the movie should have been more realistic, and more shocking. You didn't see their last and worst crime in the movie, you only heard the officers talking about it. Killing a child is one of the worst horrors you can commit. And it simply didn't seem shocking in this movie. There was no "shock effect". I don't ever want to see a child being killed on the television screen. That is not what I am asking for. - What they should have done, is: Show how they start to kill the child, and then turn back to John Travolta. That should have created the shock effect. I am not exactly a fan of movies telling real life crimes. I will never ever watch "an American Crime" again. - But I will always remember that movie with a shiver. I'll probably forget about Lonely Hearts.

I personally have a severe weakness for horror/thriller movies that are based on real-life serial killer cases, mostly because the truth is even viler and more disturbing than the imagination of any given Hollywood scriptwriter. I've seen numerous film adaptations of real murder cases, but one of the most jaw-dropping and fascinating stories for me undoubtedly remains Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck's the Lonely Heart killings. Their modus operandi was simple but frighteningly disturbing. During only a very short period of time – the second half of the 1940's – Beck and Fernandez are believed to have killed over twenty women; all of them aged spinsters and single mothers who were unfortunate enough to place an add in the lonely hearts section of a newspaper. With his looks and natural charms Raymond could easily seduce the poor women and, with Martha posing his sister, they robbed and killed them. The ironic aspect about the case is that they themselves met and fell in love through an add in the paper. These are strictly the facts of the case, but the problem with "Lonely Hearts" is that it's a Hollywood production and thus naturally tends to deviate from the genuineness in favor to appeal to wider audiences. The film introduces an impressive list of cast members, including John Travolta, Salma Hayek and James Gandolfini, and writer/director Todd Robinson is the actual grandson of police inspector Robinson who was in charge of the Lonely Hearts investigation. He processes a lot of rather irrelevant sub plots into the script, like the remorse over his own wife's suicide and the personal issues with his teenage son and colleague love interest, which aren't directly connected to the murder investigation. Therefore, if you're interested in a truly faithful adaptation of the same case, I strongly recommend Leonard Kastle's film "The Honeymoon Killers". That movie also features a lot more detailed accuracy. For example, the real Martha Beck was a woman struggling with obesity and a lack of confidence, whereas in this version she's portrayed by natural beauty Salma Hayek who spontaneously gives oral sex to a highway patrolman to evade a speeding ticket. Now, the occasional lack of accuracy and diversion doesn't mean that "Lonely Hearts" is a bad film, of course. Far from it, in fact, as I can honestly admit I was glued to the TV-screen throughout the entire film. The biggest trump is that Todd Robinson re-creates an admirably moody and depressing film-noir atmosphere, complete with typical narration and an astonishing cinematography. The costumes and scenery (including old cars and farmhouses), as well as the color schemes and music, catapult you straight back to the 1940's. In spite the fact that "Lonely Hearts" is full of famous Hollywood faces, the film is also surprisingly shockingly violent and occasionally even quite nihilistic in tone. The murders of Jeanette Long and Delphine Downing are graphically depicted and definitely not suitable for sensitive viewers. Last but not least the acting performances are praiseworthy. Especially Salma Hayek impresses with her portrayal of the sickly jealous and psychopathic Martha Beck and Jared Leto isn't bad neither, as the emotionless and sly Raymond Fernandez.