This documentary is excellent. I knew nothing of the horrors committed before watching the show and for me that was the best way to watch.
It was truly gripping and horrifying watching the crimes escalate over time and watching the police investigation unfold. I watched all 3 episodes in one sitting.
At times I had to look away as some of the videos are very disturbing.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend this documentary, especially if you don't know anything about the crimes in advance.
Unfortunately I had to dock 2 points off the score: 1) for not mentioning the other pair of hands in the cat video. Even if they never found out who it was, they could've said so and not left it unmentioned. 2) for the last minute or so where they accuse the viewer of being complicit. I thought this was a silly comment to make. First off, Baudi and John clearly didn't feel that guilty about egging-on the criminal or they wouldn't have agreed to the documentary. They seem to view themselves as heroes when, in reality, their investigation had almost no impact on the eventual police investigation and arrest. They seemed to fetishize "the chase" just as much as the criminal himself and actually drove an innocent man to suicide, so yeah - not really the heroes. Having said that, their inclusion in the documentary made sense and it probably would have been weird not to have them, it just annoyed me that they had the audacity to place guilt on the audience, when they literally drove a man to suicide and most people will have known nothing of the horrors that occured before watching the show.
Unfortunately I had to dock 2 points off the score: 1) for not mentioning the other pair of hands in the cat video. Even if they never found out who it was, they could've said so and not left it unmentioned. 2) for the last minute or so where they accuse the viewer of being complicit. I thought this was a silly comment to make. First off, Baudi and John clearly didn't feel that guilty about egging-on the criminal or they wouldn't have agreed to the documentary. They seem to view themselves as heroes when, in reality, their investigation had almost no impact on the eventual police investigation and arrest. They seemed to fetishize "the chase" just as much as the criminal himself and actually drove an innocent man to suicide, so yeah - not really the heroes. Having said that, their inclusion in the documentary made sense and it probably would have been weird not to have them, it just annoyed me that they had the audacity to place guilt on the audience, when they literally drove a man to suicide and most people will have known nothing of the horrors that occured before watching the show.