Judgment Day: The John List Story (1993) (TV)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Bobby Roth

Writer (WGA):

Dennis Turner (written by)

Release Date:

23 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

The pious John List regularly goes to church and is respected by his neighbours. But one day the police...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Mother Son Relationship | Triple Child Murder | New Identity | Dead Children

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Robert Blake	...	John List
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Helen List
David Caruso	...	Chief Bob Richland
Melinda Dillon	...	Eleanor
Alice Krige	...	Jean Syfert
David Purdham	...	Gene Syfert
Micole Mercurio	...	Wanda
Carroll Baker	...	Alma List
Tom Butler	...	Michael Linder
Gary Chalk	...	Tom Walton
Roger R. Cross	...	Dennis
Gina Gallego	...	Janet
Barney McFadden	...	Rev. Barbour
Kevin McNulty	...	FBI agent
Gabrielle Miller	...	Patty List

Also Known As:

Deliver Them from Evil: The John List Story (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16

Company:

C.M. Two Production

Trivia:

Carroll Baker, who plays John List's mother is less than two years older than Robert Blake who plays her son.

Quotes:

[Saying grace with her husband and his authoritative mother]
Helen List: The recipe may not be yours, but the food is.

Leaves some to be desired...

IMO, the John List story is a fascinating and exciting one, and unfortunately, this movie does not really do it justice. Having read some of the available books about the life of John List and the resulting crimes, I found the movie somewhat disappointing, and I had been looking forward to seeing it. I am surprised there hasn't been more written about John List, since it is a more interesting and remarkable story than many others which have received far more attention. The actor playing John List is a good actor, but I do not believe this was the right part for him, especially having seen photos of the real List and having read the books. He isn't as convincing as he should have been. The role of the mother wasn't convincing either, as I felt there were some inconsistencies between the real person described in the books and the character as shown in the film. It was a satisfactory movie, but having enjoyed the books with their far greater detail, and finding them very interesting, the movie was sort of a disappointment... I'd like to see another try at this story, with a little more attention to detail and character development, because you lose a lot without understanding the background of the story better.