Collin Martin, Jonas Ball, Krisha Fairchild

The film examines the mindset of Mark David Chapman, the man who gunned down John Lennon outside the Dakota in New York City on Dec. 8, 1980.

Flixster Users

52% liked it

34,340 ratings

Critics

38% liked it

32 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 54 min.

Directed by: Andrew Piddington

Release Date: August 15, 2006

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DVD Release Date: August 5, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (706)


  • September 30, 2009
    It took me a while to get into this one as it starts off quite slow. Style over content was my original feeling but then after 30 minutes it really gets going. Filmed on location and over three years, the attention to detail and fact is faultless. I really admire the makers of th...( read more)is film, for telling the story but never passing judgement. Chapman is never going to be popular and this film in no way excuses or glorifies his actions or insults the viewer by pretending to know why he did it. It?s just the facts and what went down those last months in 1980. Great film making!
  • August 6, 2009
    I can't believe I just gave 2 hours of my time to further the name of someone who was SO sick he took John Lennon away, one of the most talented songwriters.. He was obviously disturbed and wanted to be famous, much in the way people today want their 15 minutes even if it is at ...( read more)the expense of others lives... I hope NO ONE else watches this and gives that sick man the satisfaction of prolonging his fame, which was achieved in the worst way and forever changed the music world. II won't be discussing the movie, but I will not recommend it either, because I feel then I am giving too much power and fame to a person who do not deserve it. I am ashamed of myself for being sucked in by the title.
    So, if you loved John Lennon and his music,skip this movie. The last thing a Beatle fan needs to hear about is Mark David Chapman. TRASH ...
  • April 12, 2009
    there's a movie with jared leno about this
  • March 17, 2009
    Good movie. The lighting of the movie gave it a more chilling mood.
  • February 7, 2009
    So-so film is a bit too long but held my interested nonetheless.
  • January 26, 2009
    It's too bad that everyone knows how this movie will end, because it gets there in an interesting way. Setting it apart from standard issue stalker movies is the attention given to exploring the character. Chapman gives the impression of being shallow, so it's intriguing to see...( read more) where he was coming from, what was going on, and what could have possibly given him this spark. Jonas Ball fits the role well, and the fine cinematography is an asset.
  • January 22, 2009
    This is a good dark film about an extremely disturbed man. The film starts off a little slow but then picks up. The lead performance is very good.
  • January 20, 2009
    "All words are Chapman's own..." This tentative phrase starts this duffer of a biopic of self-proclaimed "nobody"; Mark Chapman who gunned down surly ex-Beatle John Lennon in New York in 1980. It may explain why the dialogue and (extensive) monologues in the movie are so bloody t...( read more)edious. The very fact it's a biopic about a dislikable, unsympathetic nobody makes it a pretty pointless exercise in itself.

    Suitably "wacky" Jonas Ball (Napoleon Dynamite after a three day bender, with supreme stubble) plays Chapman in a kind of "look-at-me, aren't I barmy?" way that may be right on the money in relation to his subject, or irritating to the extreme- depending on your standpoint. The rest of the characters are acted to TV movie standard at best, and are difficult to feel for or relate to. Even from a historical standpoint, it's got more holes in it than Lennon's corpse. Piddington directs with what some may call visual flair- the film stock itself may have an interestingly grainy quality- but what reveals itself to be an overused bag-of-tricks to pad out a thoroughly unengaging story of an uninteresting man.

    If you are a Beatles fan, theres little you won't already know; in fact the whole tale could be told as effectively in the time it takes you to watch the trailers. Plus the movie doesn't include any of Lennon's minor or major compositions (no doubt down to financial reasons). If you're a "Catcher in The Rye" fan (as Chapman was, to ridiculous extremes), avoid this movie like the plague 'cause it may make you miffed with Salinger's classic for it's leading role in this tosh.
    My immediate reaction was "I can't believe it's worse than "I'm Not There!" Still, I might still dislike this less than "Double Fantasy". Bleh.
  • January 18, 2009
    A great performance by Jonas Ball shows the extremely disturbed mind of the man that took John Lennon's life. Who knows how factually accurate the movie is but it's interesting nonetheless.
  • January 11, 2009
    Great movie. A lot like Chapter 27 but better. This movie showed a lot more than Chapter 27. Both movies are similar but this one is longer and I prefer this one better. Any Beatles fans like myself should see this. Really worth watching.

Critic Reviews


January 4, 2008
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Even if you can forgive [director] Piddington's mangling of the basics, you will find it hard to overlook his frantic use of slo-mo, a wobbly camera, freeze frames, double exposures and a close-up of ... full review

December 7, 2007
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

They ought to send the whole of The Killing of John Lennon up in flames. full review

View more The Killing of John Lennon reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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