THE HONEYMOON KILLERS is based on the true story of Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez who remorselessly killed a number of wealthy lonely women back in the 1940s.<br /><br />I bought this movie expecting it to be average but my expectations were not very high. Since I had never heard of the movie, I was not expecting a classic by any means. Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to face.<br /><br />Firstly, I am a big fan of movies based on true stories. I think BONNIE AND CLYDE, THE BOSTON STRANGLER and 10 RILLINGTON PLACE are very good movies. Those movies contain everything this one does not – suspense, tension, good acting, excellent dialogue and scripts, wonderful direction and surprising shocks. And these movies invoke emotion from the viewer.<br /><br />THE HONEYMOON KILLERS is by contrast an incredibly bland and boring movie that is merely relying on the fact it has a basing on real events in order to attract viewers. Some say the movie was made just to cash in on the success of BONNIE AND CLYDE. I would agree with that analogy.<br /><br />As another reviewer has pointed out, the movie deviates a long way from the real story. At the time of viewing, I didn't know anything about the real events, but I most certainly did find the events in this movie implausible to say the least. The very idea that Martha and Raymond could be having sex in the marital home whilst Raymond's supposedly new bride was taking a bath was just plain silly. The real Martha and Raymond would never have been so reckless in their actions.<br /><br />The characters in the movie are not in any way shown to be ruthless, cunning and remorseless killers. Martha Beck is portrayed as a very hysterical woman, unable to contain jealousy and unable to avoid getting into heated arguments with the couple's intended victims. This cannot possibly have been what the real person was like. If she were then her partner in crime would have soon got rid of her before she bungled their plans. Raymond Fernandez is portrayed fairly well by Tony Lo Bianco. He makes a convincing gigolo. But the character does become a little annoying at times. There is no chemistry between the actors, nothing that indicates what attracts the characters to one another. And when we are expected to believe without question or hesitation that an Italian Lothario would shack up with a fat, frumpy, hysterical nurse, the movie loses any credibility.<br /><br />The rest of the characters in the movie are very bland and boring. Most of them are portrayed as idiots who quite happily sign away their savings and investments to a man they hardly know. And they all act hysterically when they find out the truth. Naturally, the couple murder them when this happens. Although, the intended victims act so hysterically that any reasonably minded person feels like hitting them just to shut them up. In other words, the victims cry out to be killed.<br /><br />Only three murders take place in the movie, one of them is off-screen. The other murders are committed in a very lame manner. The poor acting from the actresses playing the victims doesn't help either. I have read reviews on this site claiming that the murder scene with the hammer was "shocking", "scary" and so on. Well, I nearly laughed when the scene came on. I couldn't believe the scene could have been filmed so badly. The other murder scene was filmed equally badly. Both scenes were devoid of any suspense or tension. It was simply all too predictable.<br /><br />The decision to include an off-screen murder was supposed to provide a shocking moment worthy of a brilliant director like Hitchcock. Unlike Hitchcock's scenes in the masterpiece PSYCHO, the off-screen murder in this movie is almost totally devoid of any suspense, tension or emotion. It invoked no emotion in me whatsoever.<br /><br />I have read many reviews claiming the movie is filled with "camp" humour. I would say WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE is a proper example of camp humour. In THE HONEYMOON KILLERS, I found nothing remotely funny or entertaining. It was just boring talk with no action in virtually every scene. Where was the humour the fans keep babbling on about? I kept waiting for something to liven the movie up. But, it never came. It wasn't even one of those "so bad it's good" types.<br /><br />Apparently, Martin Scorcese either was on the project at some time, or was being considered to direct the movie. It's a real pity he didn't direct it because if he had we probably would have ended up with a far superior movie.<br /><br />Everyone who loves the movie uses the low budget as an excuse to justify the shortfalls. But, this movie was made in the same era as NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, another black and white movie filmed with only half the budget. That movie was a classic and the black and white cinematography helped to make the movie more disturbing and atmospheric. In THE HONEYMOON KILLERS, the black and white cinematography seemed to be used purely for cheapness.<br /><br />Overall, I cannot recommend this boring piece of tripe to anyone. It is one of the most boring movies I've ever seen in my life and I've seen plenty of movies. It is just seems to go on and on forever. It is incredibly boring, with little more than talking all the way through. The murders don't even begin to happen until three quarters of the way through. Even then, the movie contains nothing to write home about. Just don't waste your time on this. If you want to know the story of Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez, just watch a documentary on them, or do some research on the Internet or at your local library. Either investment would produce a much better benefit for your time.