JUDGMENT DAY: THE JOHN LIST STORY

US, 1992, 100 minutes, Colour.
Robert Blake, Carroll Baker, Beverley d' Angelo, Alice Krige, David Caruso.
Directed by Bob Clark.

Judgment Day: The John List Story is based on a true story, a man (dominated by his mother in his early life) is a perfectionist and, desperate, kills his mother, wife and children. He escapes, sets up a new life and eludes pursuit by the police and the FBI for 17 years. Ultimately, he was caught because of a program of America's Most Wanted.

The film is balanced in its presentation of List - some sympathetic aspects, but the significance of the domination by his mother. List is played by Robert Blake (who also appeared as a killer in the classic In Cold Blood). Carroll Baker is quite believable as his mother, filling him with all kinds of ideals, obsessive cleanliness, wariness of sexual misbehaviour. His wife is played by Beverley d' Angelo, a woman who was a widow, desperate for a husband, but who, it emerges, had been infected with syphilis by her GI husband and was unaware of it. There is a strong supporting cast including David Caruso as the police officer determined to find him, Melinda Dillon as his second wife. Alice Krige is his sister-in-law.

Direction is by Bob Clark, who was responsibly for the Porky's series as well as more serious films like Tribute and the Sherlock Holmes film, Murder by Decree.

1. A true story? American domestic violence? The reasons, the exploration of motivation, psychological pressure, mental imbalance? From one generation to the next? Religious dimensions? Violent results?

2. The American town, the List family and its ordinariness? His work as an accountant? The companies, his home? The church, the bowling alleys? The contrast with his change of life in the South, home, work? The police and the FBI officers? The musical score? The credibility of this re-creation of a Most Wanted case?

3. The title, the build-up to the arrest of John List?

4. The portrait of List: as a boy, the dominance of his mother, her bathing him, putting ideas of perfection in his head, cleanliness (and his scrubbing his nails)? The religious dimension? The absence of his father? His growing up, scrupulosity, perfectionism? Sanctified by the church? His mother still living with him? His work as an accountant, his skills, not taking account of the changes in technology and computers? His meeting with Helen, her being the opposite, being attracted? His mother's opposition? The marriage, the early years? Helen and her extravagance, her dream of the home? Her children? John and his reaction, the money, borrowing from his mother, desperation? His reactions to his children - and the daughter wanting to be in the play? The atmosphere of the church? Helen wanting to be taken off the membership? Her illness, the doctor, discovering the truth about her illness? Being infected by her former husband? The children not being infected? His mother's disgust?

5. The build-up to the shooting, the calmness, his mother, each of the children, the boy coming home last? The confrontation with Helen in the kitchen? Lining the bodies up in the ballroom? His calmly eating his meal? Disappearing?

6. List's skill in disappearing, moving to Colorado, changing his appearance, getting the job in the restaurant? His skills at accounting and his getting more jobs? The decision to go again to church? Meeting Eleanor, the courtship? The marriage? His reactions to her - and remembering Helen and her pressures about money, the house? Love for each other? The tensions? His losing his jobs despite the admiration of the staff? His lack of skills, the house, losing everything? The confrontation with Eleanor? His hearing that she might possibly leave him? Her friendship with Wanda, their discussions? The move to Richmond? The irony of Wanda seeing him on the television, her previous suspicions from the newspaper? Eleanor's disregarding them? Wanda informing the FBI?

7. The portraits of the two wives - similar, different? The contrast with his mother? His murdering Helen? The possibility of murdering Eleanor?

8. Alma List, her own experience of marriage, her love for her son, the intense caring for him, the obsession with righteousness and cleanliness? Her still living with the family? Relegated upstairs? Her interfering? Her still pressurising John, especially with the news about Helen's illness? The shock of her being murdered?

9. The police, Richland and his investigations, pursuit? The clash with the FBI agent? Suggesting a search in the church and the churches? The years passing? The discussions with Jean and her husband? His keeping them informed? The final capture, his satisfaction, the acknowledgment by the FBI agent?

10. Jean and her husband, the scenes of visiting the family, the bonds of relationship? Jean getting the news of the murders? The violence of her military husband? The funeral, the discussions with Richland? The holiday and their discussing what they might do if he were captured? Going to see him in prison, trying to find out the reason? The finale at the grave?

11. The Reverend at the church, his information about List, not knowing him deeply, the funeral, the shock of the truth?

12. The police and the FBI, investigations, the possibility of suspects eluding capture? The contribution to America's Most Wanted and Richland suggesting they do the program?

13. The film as a comment on family values, American religious values, parental obsession, the effect on children, the eruptions of anger and violence?