Evil Genius (TV series)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Evil Genius
GenreTrue crime
Based onDeath of Brian Wells
Written byBarbara Schroeder
Directed byBarbara Schroeder
Trey Borzillieri (co-director)
Narrated byTrey Borzillieri
ComposersGary Lionelli
Gage Boozan
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producersMark and Jay Duplass, Josh and Dan Braun
Running time45–53 minutes
Production companyDuplass Brothers Productions
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseMay 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)

Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist is a 2018 true crime documentary series about the death of Brian Wells,[1] a high-profile 2003 incident often referred to as the "collar bomb" or "pizza bomber" case.[2][3] It was released on Netflix as a four-part series on May 11, 2018.[4]

Background

Trey Borzillieri got the idea to make a series about a high-profile crime after watching Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills and became captivated with the murder of Brian Wells when evidence emerged that Wells may have been forced to commit the robbery with a bomb strapped to his neck. Borzillieri began interviewing people around Erie, Pennsylvania, where the incident had occurred. In 2005, two years after Wells's death, he started corresponding with mastermind Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, because she might have information about the cold case.[5] He spent years investigating the case, including interacting extensively with Diehl-Armstrong while she was in prison.[6]

The title comes from Diehl-Armstrong's high intelligence. Before her mental state deteriorated due to numerous conditions, she was on her way to a career in education and counseling.

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Part 1: The Heist"May 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)
2"Part 2: The Frozen Body"May 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)
3"Part 3: The Suspects"May 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)
4"Part 4: The Confessions"May 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)

Reception

Evil Genius has a rating of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 30 reviews, with an average score of 6.45/10. The site's consensus reads, "Evil Genius makes up for a lack of conviction and nuance with an intriguing sense of discovery and plenty of entertaining insanity."[7]

Eater.com, concluding that "Evil Genius explores not just the evidence behind the crimes, but also the lives of the suspects, the victims, and their families."[9] Lanre Bakare of The Guardian gave Evil Genius 3 stars out of 5, writing that the series displays "a haunting and unsettling feel as the conspiracy starts to unravel, and the motivations that drove the people who carried out the heist … become apparent."[10] Daniel Fienberg wrote in the Hollywood Reporter that Borzillieri's dogged, intense pursuit of a given conclusion made the series intense and revealing but compromised his objectivity.[11]

Other reviews of the show were less favorable. For example, Steve Greene of

mental illness.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sons Of Sam: 11 True Crime Docuseries To Watch If You Like The Netflix Series | Cinemablend
  2. ^ Chan, Melissa (2018-05-11). "What to Know About the Shocking Case Behind Evil Genius". Time. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  3. ^ a b Chaney, Jen (2018-05-15). "The Frustrating Portrait of Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong in Netflix's Evil Genius". Vulture. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  4. ^ Warren, Nick (2018-05-23). "Evil Genius Delivers News on Infamous Erie Event". Erie Reader. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  5. ^ Schager, Nick (2018-05-21). "'Evil Genius': Unlocking the Mysteries of Netflix's Crazy Pizza Bomber Heist Series". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  6. ^ Lowry, Brian (2018-05-11). "'Evil Genius' could be Netflix's next true-crime obsession". CNN. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  7. ^ "Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
  8. ISSN 0307-1235
    . Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  9. ^ Morabito, Greg (2018-05-15). "Netflix's New Docuseries 'Evil Genius' Tells the True-Crime Story of the Pizza Bomber". Eater. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  10. ^ Bakare, Lanre (2018-05-11). "Evil Genius review – unsettling bomb plot blows apart smalltown America". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  11. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (2018-05-11). "'Evil Genius': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  12. ^ Greene, Steve (2018-05-11). "'Evil Genius' Review: Netflix's Deeply Frustrating True Crime Series Gets Confused by Its Own Bizarre Story". IndieWire. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  13. ^ Michel, Lincoln (2018-05-23). "The True Crime Show About the Strangest Bank Robbery Ever". GQ. Retrieved 2018-05-25.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Evil_Genius_(TV_series)&oldid=1213582918"