Movies often amaze the audience with the cruelty and sophistication of criminals. The impression of viewing is enhanced in those cases when the plot was not invented by the scriptwriters, but based on real events.
Silence of the Lambs (1990)
The character of the cult thriller Buffalo Bill is a collective image of famous US maniacs (Heine, Bundy, Heidnik). The plot is based on the story of the collaboration of Robert Keppel, a professor at the University of Criminology and Ted Bundy. The latter offered police assistance in finding a criminal who had abducted women in Washington State since 1982.
Ted's consultations brought an investigation into Gary Leon Ridgway. But due to lack of evidence, the suspect was released. Bundy was executed in 1989. And Ridgway was detained only in 2001. Achievements in forensic science made it possible to conduct DNA examinations and obtain conclusive evidence of his guilt. But for 19 years, the maniac tortured and killed 49 victims.
The Hannibal Lecter prototype was the infanticide Albert Fish. The second film from the trilogy is an adaptation of the book by Thomas Harris. The writer was impressed by the story of Ed Gain, who is considered one of the most terrible maniacs in history. He also became the prototype of Leather Face from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror and Norman Bates from Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock.
"Heavenly Creatures" (1994)
The crime drama directed by Peter Jackson with Kate Winslet in the title role describes the sensational 1954 crime in New Zealand. In Christchurch, her daughter Pauline Parker and girl friend Juliet Hulme were suspected of the brutal murder of Honor Ripper. The accused were 16 and 15 years old respectively.
As the investigation found out, the deceased was inflicted 45 blows with a brick on the head. In the morning, a woman went out for a walk in the park with Pauline and Juliet. On the way, the three of them ate at the tea stall. Then the girls led Honor to a secluded place and beat him to death.
After committing a pre-planned crime, girlfriends, stained with blood, ran to the kiosk. They informed the owners that the Reaper fell and hit her head. But the police denied their version.
The cause of the terrible act, the young killers called the mother’s reluctance to let Pauline go on a trip with Juliet to relatives in South Africa. Since the defendants were minors, they were sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 5 years.
It is noteworthy that after the liberation, Hume changed her name to Ann Perry and subsequently became a famous novelist. As the author of detective stories, she received the Edgar Allan Poe and Agatha Awards. The woman kept her secret until 1994. She admitted under pressure from journalists who were interested in the fate of young criminals from the movie "Heavenly Creatures."
The Zodiac (2007)
During the filming of the film, director D. Fincher conducted his own investigation of the crimes of the serial killer, known under the pseudonym "Zodiac". The maniac terrorized San Francisco for 12 years: from the late 60s to the early 70s. He sent encrypted messages to the largest newspapers in the city.
Only one cryptogram was completely translated. The school teacher and his wife managed to disassemble the code. The zodiac claimed 37 victims, but the police confirmed 7 crimes committed by him. Maniac shot couples in love in secluded places. Two victims managed to survive. Officially, the case remains unsolved until now.
Frozen Land (2013)
Thriller tells about the events that really happened in the United States from 1971 to 1983. The suspect in the brutal murders of 17 women for a long time went unpunished. The reputation of an excellent family man, an alibi, provided by friends, cunning helped him avoid punishment. Even when one of the victims survived, her testimony was not taken into account due to the difference in social status with the accused.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Martin Scorsese’s black comedy is based on an autobiographical book by Jordan Belfort. The former broker was convicted in 1998 for money laundering and fraud. He fraudulently lured $ 110 million from investors. Only one eleventh was returned to the victims. And then this amount was received from the sale of the seized property.
It is noteworthy that in the court verdict there are no deadlines for returning the debt. Belfort spent only 22 months in prison. Now a man travels around the world with trainings. He annually gives about 45 lectures, for which he is paid from $ 30 to $ 80 thousand. Jordan wrote two books that were published in 40 countries, received a share of the copyright from the picture. But he is in no hurry to settle accounts with former investors.
At the same time, his children were educated in the best American educational institutions. Leonardo DiCaprio brilliantly embodied on the screen the image of an eloquent, unprincipled con man, hungry for money, drugs, corrupt sex.
"Catch Me If You Can" (2002)
No less talented, DiCaprio played the role of a con artist in the film directed by Stephen Spielberg. In the 60s, Frank Abignail, the prototype of the protagonist of the tape, was put on the wanted list in 12 countries. He skillfully faked checks, possessed the skill of reincarnation. Depending on the circumstances, the man posed as a pilot, lawyer, professor.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, but released ahead of schedule, subject to cooperation with special services. Currently, Abignail works as an expert in the field of documentary security, and teaches at the FBI Academy.
"The meeting place cannot be changed" (1979)
The television series is based on the work of Weiners "Era of Mercy." Historians attribute the events described in the novel to the activities of the gang of Ivan Mitin from Krasnogorsk. Among the 12 members of the group were cadets of the military school, Stakhanovite P. Bolotov, MAI student, excellent student V. Lukin. The 23-year-old leader at the time of detention worked as a foreman at a defense factory and was presented to the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. From 1950 to 1953 accomplices committed 28 raids, 11 murders.
The prototype of Gruzdev, unjustly accused of killing his wife, was Yevgeny Mirkin. In 1944, a candidate of medical sciences was arrested and sentenced to death. After the trial, evidence of his innocence appeared. The man was acquitted.
George Weiner argued that the images of the main characters are collective. But the prototype of Sharapov is often called the detective Chvanov and senior detective Arapov. The latter personally participated in the detention of Mitin’s gang members. Vladimir Arapov also infiltrated a criminal gang, worked undercover. Subsequently, he organized the detention of maniac Ionesyan, known under the nickname Mosgaz.
