Stream It Or Skip It: ‘American Murderer’ on Hulu, A Scammer Story That Turns Criminal and Campy

I’ve long had a theory about movies that dare to invoke an entire country in their title – they’re either ludicrously pretentious or enormously insightful. American Murderer (now streaming on Hulu) must be an exception. It’s just … a title with no ambition to say anything about America. But that doesn’t mean it’s an entirely empty affair, of course.  

AMERICAN MURDERER: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: From the cold opening of American Murderer when he tells a fake sob story to swindle a pawn shop, it’s clear there’s nothing Jason Derek Brown (Tom Pelphrey) won’t do or say to pull a con. When American Murderer catches up with him, he’s already got an FBI detail led by a Bush-Cheney ’04 keychain-sporting agent Lance Leising (Ryan Phillippe) on his tail. They’re trying to piece together the portrait of a pathological liar who’s growing in danger as the walls close in on him. As he alienates loved ones and becomes further enmeshed in a seedy underworld, Brown eventually faces an ultimatum for armed foes – cough up $80,000 within three days or face a beatdown. He begins to eye the score of them all by sticking up the armed guards picking up cash from a movie theater after a busy holiday weekend. (You know, back when people still went to those reliably – this is 2004, after all!)

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Think Catch Me If You Can in terms of a con man on the run, but don’t expect Spielberg-level craftsmanship.

Performance Worth Watching: American Murderer has one of the most overqualified casts for a movie of this caliber: Ryan Phillippe, Idina Menzel, Paul Schneider, Jacki Weaver, Moises Arias, and Kevin Corrigan all show up at one point or another. But the film really does ride on its star Tom Pelphrey, who may be familiar to some from recent TV roles on Ozark or Love and Death. He brings the charisma, unconventional as it may be, to make it at least somewhat plausible that Brown could get away with murder as he does. The role pulls a little more on his soap opera roots, which is ultimately a good thing.

Memorable Dialogue: “I’ve seen things!” Brown yells in what can only be described as a pirate voice as he postures as a tough guy when saying he hasn’t killed a guy … but really wants to! It’s a gonzo, borderline unhinged acting choice by Pelphrey, and his commitment makes it work better than it probably should.

Sex and Skin: One of Brown’s first “marks,” Idina Menzel’s Melanie, becomes an intimate partner. They’re seen both thrusting in a bed above the shoulders and engaging in some shower sex behind frosted glass – nothing visible from the stars. As far as skin goes, there’s some in a strip club when Brown gets the first clue that the jig might be up.

Our Take: You would think that a movie about someone who once occupied the FBI’s most wanted list at the same time as Osama bin Laden and Whitey Bulger would be more … interesting?! First-time feature director Matthew Gentile plays American Murderer largely by the book. His script is stuck between leaning into some of the fun of a wild character like Brown or providing a serious drama. When he just lets the rabid dog that is Pelphrey off the chain, the movie is at least bizarrely watchable. It’s a mess when it thinks it can pull off a Citizen Kane-esque structure or get deep into Brown’s daddy issues.

Our Call: SKIP IT. American Murderer doesn’t exactly kill it. Guess it’s just hard to compete with a scammer story in the era of Theranos and Fyre Fest, even when it involves literal murder and fugitive status. While Pelphrey has himself a time, it’s too bad the rest of the film can’t support his performance enough so the audience can share in the fun.

Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, The Playlist and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.

Watch American Murderer on Hulu