Arrow Video Frightfest Review: No Man Of God

Yet another movie to focus on the exploits of the notorious Ted Bundy, No Man Of God adopts a different tack by zeroing in on the serial killer’s final years on Death Row.

Using the real-life conversations between Bundy (Luke Kirby) and FBI profiler Bill Hagmaier (Elijah Wood) as inspiration, director Amber Sealey casts aside the lurid details and sensationalism, in favour of a straight-faced drama as the pair verbally spar in prison interview rooms.

Sent to interview Bundy as part of a new FBI profiling programme, Hagmaier is keen to get to the root of just why Ted went on his murderous rampage, only to find the killer will prove a tough nut to crack.

With recent TV fare such as Mindhunter, as well as a glut of Bundy films over the years looming large, No Man Of God is hampered right from the off by a nagging feeling that we’ve seen it all before.

True, there is nothing wrong with Sealey’s offering as such – for starters, the performances are excellent. Kirby pretty much nails Bundy in both looks and mannerisms, while Wood’s turn as the conflicted FBI agent makes this an effective two-hander for the bulk of the running time.

But there really is very little to show here – there is no real insight (aside from one riveting monologue from Kirby/Bundy near the climax) and precious little to drive the story along, forcing Sealey to insert clip montages, home video edits and a handful of scenes featuring Robert Patrick as an FBI boss to pepper the running time.

No Man Of God is also very, very talky – perhaps unsurprisingly considering its basis is the real-life interview tapes – but it comes across as something that would arguably work better as a stage production rather than a film.

A piece of work that almost asks to be admired rather than enjoyed, No Man Of God is unlikely to appeal to many, despite its obvious merits.