Emmy spotlight: Keira Knightley cracks the case of the ‘Boston Strangler’

In the Emmy race for Best TV Movie, Hulu’s top contenders appear to be “Fire Island” and “Prey,” both of which are currently projected by Gold Derby to be top-five contenders, but “Crown Heights” director Matt Ruskin’s stirring journalism drama, “Boston Strangler,” is equally deserving of the streamer’s resources this season. Avoiding easy answers and boasting an Oscar- and Emmy-nominated cast, the film composites “She Said’s” female-empowerment angle, “Spotlight’s” reproof of corrupt city politics, and “Zodiac’s” emphasis on the personal toll exacted by obsession.

SEE Keira Knightley gets the scoop in true crime drama ‘Boston Strangler’ trailer [Watch]

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In 1962, ambitious Boston Record American reporter Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) gets reassigned from the lifestyle desk after connecting the murders of four elderly women killed by strangulation. The career break isn’t without drawbacks, though, and her biggest obstacle turns out to be the police, which would rather dispel local panic than conduct a thorough investigation. She finds an ally in the paper’s only undercover female reporter, Jean Cole (Carrie Coon), as well as a detective (Alessandro Nivola) familiar with the psychological burden of chasing ghosts. Like David Fincher’s 2007 masterpiece about another unsolved real-life case, the movie is most immersive when tantalizing us with highly probable but ill-fated leads. 

Considering “Boston Strangler’s” pedigree, the movie may stand a better chance than its seventh-place ranking suggests. Thom Ernst (Original Cin) writes, “There are plenty of [entertaining] true crime films but few that [rank] alongside the likes of Richard Brooks’ ‘In Cold Blood’ and Fincher’s ‘Zodiac’…Ruskin’s ‘Boston Strangler’ belongs on this list.” Nipping at the Ridley Scott and 20th Century production’s heels from ninth is another would-be theatrical release — HBO’s Berlinale acquisition, “Reality.” The unscheduled legal drama starring Sydney Sweeney about the NSA whistleblower who leaked classified information pertaining to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election has the backing of one Emmy expert but will likely surge once the network sets a release date. 

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Keira Knightley gives a performance “as crisp as the corners of an envelope” (Stephanie Zacharek, Time) and ranks 16th in Movie/Limited Actress, just below fellow Oscar nominees Rachel Weisz (“Dead Ringers”) and Annette Bening (“Jerry & Marge Go Large”). With Knightley, Bening, Sweeney, and “Prey’s” Amber Midthunder all vying for slots, this may be the first year since 2018, when “The Tale’s” Laura Dern was shortlisted, that the category sees a telefilm contender. Between “The Leftovers” and “The Sinner,” Coon should have far more Emmy nominations than just the one that she received for “Fargo’s” third season. Coon, reuniting with her on-screen husband from “The Gilded Age” (Morgan Spector), is currently 10th in Movie/Limited Supporting Actress, a softer category with no locks besides Critics Choice Award winner and SAG Award nominee Niecy Nash-Betts (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”). Oscar winner Chris Cooper, outside the Supporting Actor top 20, also merits consideration for his fine work as an editor who wants to refrain from attacking law enforcement but nevertheless refuses to ignore evidence that the case is being mishandled.

The movie’s ambiguity, detailing of the investigative process, and depiction of bureaucratic ineptitude resonate far more than a concrete resolution ever could, leaving viewers with a meditation on the power of urban legend and the illusion of social order instead of a boilerplate procedural about hunting a serial killer. 

PREDICTthe 2023 Emmy nominees through July 12Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?

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