Main Cast: Kevin Anderson, Tom Skerritt, Naomi Watts, Brian Kerwin, Martin Donovan
Release Year: 1999
Country: US
Run Time: 240 minutes
Plot
Based on a true story, The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer concerns the notorious Ira Einhorn, a political activist turned murder suspect who eluded Philadelphia police for nearly 20 years. In 1968, Texas-born Holly Maddux (Naomi Watts) left home to attend Bryn Mawr College, and two years later she made the acquaintance of Einhorn (Kevin Anderson), a community organizer and activist well known for leading peaceful crusades and as the key figure in Philadelphia's radical community. Holly and Ira became romantically involved, but, despite his public image, behind closed doors Einhorn was often abusive and manipulative, though Holly, for her own reasons, accepted his poor treatment and infidelity. In 1977, Holly had reached the end of her rope and told friends she was leaving Ira, intending to return to their apartment only to collect her belongings. She was not seen again for several months, until her corpse was found stuffed in a trunk in Ira's apartment. Einhorn was arrested in connection with the crime, but was released on bail, only to flee the country, surfacing in France four years later. Convicted 'in absentia' for Holly's murder in 1993, Einhorn was extradited to the United States in 1997 under the condition he receive a new trial. The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer was produced for NBC Television, and was first aired as a two-part miniseries in May 1999. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Chiefly notable for a strong pre-Mulholland Drive performance from Naomi Watts, this true-crime miniseries aspires to Helter Skelter status that it never quite achieves, but nonetheless proves to be an engrossing waste of four hours' time. Despite its title, only the last half of Hunt for the Unicorn Killer is devoted to the actual manhunt for '60s-radical-turned-wife-killer Ira Einhorn (Kevin Anderson), overseen with a subdued urgency by the ever-reliable Martin Donovan as Assistant DA Richard DiBenedetto. Before he shows up, the film is well-anchored by the level-headed Watts and the at-times overemphatic Anderson, stepping into a male-tormenter role similar to the one he once defended Julia Roberts from in 1991's Sleeping With the Enemy. Their relationship develops with an unhurried ease, and even though the script sometimes nudges the production toward anti-feminist rhetoric -- rebellious girls should learn to listen to their sensible fathers -- the two actors manage to give some depth and shading to what are, in essence, schematic TV character types. If you can look past the shoddy period detail and cornpone dialogue that are prerequisites for this sort of thing, Unicorn Killer provides a small glimpse of several actors at the top of their craft -- or at least hovering somewhere above the middle of it. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
