Absolutely the worst movie.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Brian Dennehey BECOMES John Wayne Gacy, as you watch this film you can only imagine the horrible fate of the victims.The beginning starts out with Robert Piest, well portrayed, who is picked up by Gacy for construction work (this was his method of trolling for young boys). Gacy owned his own contracting company in Des Plaines, Illinois.The actress who is Piest's mother is heart-rending; as she pleads with the police to take her son's disappearance seriously. In the Chicago area a missing person is nothing new, but it was her birthday and Rob never showed up. ..." He would never run away from home... he is not that type of boy"..., she mentions, and Detective Joe Koczenczak (very well portrayed by Michael Riley) takes notice of the situation.Dennehey is superb, when the police first visit Gacy's house in Des Plaines, we can feel the menacing evil and rage simmering just below the surface. Gacy shows the police his pictures with Rosalynn Carter, his promotion as manager of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and his "commendations" for contributions to local police and firefighters (a fixation common among sociopaths; they are very high functioning, and socially enjoy manipulating authority figures).Gacy also apparently used drugs to lure young men to his house, there are several scenes where he uses Qualuudes, and the detectives are following him, realizing the extent of his social connections. What is so horrifying is that, on the surface, Gacy was a well-liked businessman who had many friends. He was not a reclusive psycho who stood out in the crowd.As Detective Koczenczack becomes more frustrated trying to mount evidence against Gacy he is thwarted many times by D.A. Meg Foster, who cannot make a case if Gacy's rights are violated. The case is interesting and disturbing all the more so because it is true. Margot Kidder also has a cameo as a psychic, who relays to Koczenzack that there are many, many more victims; this will not be an easy case.The soundtrack at the end, as they are searching for more victims, and pan out over the cemetery, is very haunting. So sad for any of the parents and young men who were affected by this monster, John Wayne Gacy, who was executed in 1994.

I had never heard of John Wayne Gacy or his crimes before I saw this 1992 mini-series on TV, as I was only 6 at the time Gacy was caught. When I found out about this psychopathic contractor and his mass-murder spree, I read a novel written about it by one of the men who had prosecuted John Wayne Gacy. Most of the events in the novel were quite close to those in the movie, but many of the characters are different than the real ones. Kozenczak & Gacy are the only ones whose names have not been changed; all the rest appear to have been altered in some way.Brian Dennehy is quite convincing as the burly, psychopathic building contractor who was responsible for 33 deaths over a 6-year period. Until this film I had never seen Dennehy play a bad guy; the closest he had come to it was his role as Raymond Horgan in 'Presumed Innocent', when he turns on his subordinate who is falsely accused of murder. It took me a few viewings to accept Dennehy's portrayal of Gacy, considering I had never heard of Gacy & his crimes before then and my own sense of 'type-casting'. Having read of the details behind this man's mission of misery, I found Dennehy's portrayal to be almost bang-on - almost as good as Kenneth Welsh's portrayal of narcissistic politician-turned-murderer in 'Love & Hate: The Story of Colin & Jo-Ann Thatcher'. Michael Riley is almost equally effective in his role as Joesph Kozenczak, the steadfast Chief of Detectives determined to stop John Gacy's demented mission of murder.Most of the details surrounding Gacy's crimes were left out; this doesn't detract from the film, though. They weren't necessarily essential to the story as it's told here, but I eventually learned about them through reading. Most of them were strangled and then buried in various locations on the property, starting in the crawlspace. A total of 29 bodies were found on the property; 4 more turned up in the Des Plaines River, including Chris Gant - the boy who disappears at the start of the movie, and the last victim of John Gacy.This is well worth seeing for anyone who is interested in true-crime stories.

With no malice against our neighbors to the north, I must say that one reason this telefilm fails is the overwhelming "Made in Canada" quality. That is to say, it's well-made and mostly well-acted, but it's obvious throughout (even without Margot Kidder popping up) that there has been little attempt to have the Canadian locations and actors (who say things like "Juhn's nut here - he's still oot at work") simulate any kind of a Chicago feeling.Dennehy is too handsome and slick for the uber-nerd murderer John Wayne Gacy, though his acting of what he's been given to do is impeccable. Gacy wore the mask of the jolly "can-do" guy, whereas Dennehy in his leather jacket is someone you'd think twice about accepting a lift from.

In a fine made-for-TV effort, "To Catch A Killer" profiles notorious murderer John Wayne Gacy (played chillingly by Brian Dennehy), his mask of a respected public citizen, the awful secret he kept, and the relentless attempt to expose him. Dennehy's work with the supporting characters is darkly magical and the story reminds you that it's real with every chance. Highly recommended for fans of Dennehy and of good psychological thrillers.