The murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman have captivated the minds of Americans for two generations. ‘The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson,‘ is an indie film directed by Daniel Farrands that presents an alternative to the prevailing theory on their brutal killings.

Nicole Brown (Mena Suvari) is still reeling from her divorce from former football star O. J. Simpson (Gene Freeman). She complains to her friends Faye Resnick (Taryn Manning) and Kris Jenner (Agnes Bruckner) about his stalkerish behavior. She also increases her friendship with Ron Goldman (Drew Roy), going on morning runs with him. After Resnick flakes on redecorating Nicole’s house, Nicole sees a man named Glen (Nick Stahl) painting her neighbor’s house and hires him to work on it, later starting a relationship with him, but calls it off when she hears him talking to an imaginary person named “Charlie.” After a break-in, she suspects OJ, but later spots Glen stalking her at a shopping center. She tries to tell the police, who dismiss her concerns. After receiving bizarre phone-calls and hearing strange noises, she wonders who is targeting her.

To start, I have no problem with crime investigators or even filmmakers exploring other theories surrounding the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. After all, OJ Simpson was found “not guilty” by a jury. The problem with this movie is that it subtly places the blame on Brown for her own vicious murder.

The movie presents the theory that Mrs. Brown and Mr. Goldman were murdered by serial killer Glen Edward Rogers the “The Casanova Killer” or “The Cross Country Killer” who is also presented as Charlie, a man OJ Simpson referred to once in the only interview he did about the murders. Allegedly, Glen confessed to the murder to members of his family and he later said OJ hired him to commit the crime. Again, I have no problem with folks exploring a different theory, it was the presentation that bothered me.

First, they seemed to take Resnick’s word for everything. The woman in question was a real acquaintance of Nicole’s who wrote a book filled with unproven gossip profiting off her friend’s death. This film took some of that gossip and inserted it into the film, such as Nicole’s alleged drug habit. Once that is established, Resnick’s character just kind of disappears after the first act.

Second, the movie subtly blames Nicole’s growing paranoia for her death. As she goes through the film fending off Glen and OJ’s advances. In the end, this is what leads to her death. It is not the fact that she and Mr. Goldman were victims of a horrendous crime, it was Nicole’s refusal to accept the truth of her circumstances that caused their sad end.

Now, I do not blame actress Suvari for that. You could tell she was working with the script she was given. She did a good job in her portrayal of Nicole Brown and kudos to her for trying, but the writing trapped her in this deluge. I also liked Roy as Ron Goldman. I thought he was portrayed very respectfully and they showed him for the good-hearted man he was known to be by his family and friends. Likewise, Stahl was truly frightening and creepy as Glen Rogers.

Bottom line, The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson does have excellent performances for an indie thriller, but it fails on the level as it seems to blame the victim for the crime committed against her and her friend.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong bloody violence, Sexual content, Strong foul language

FAVORITE QUOTE: I’m worried he’s gonna kill me one day and he’s gonna get away with it.

Check out the trailer below:

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