Murder in Mexico: The Bruce Beresford-Redman Story (2015) Reviews

• Based on actual events and the acting is decent

  Ed-Shullivan2018-03-01

  As this made for television movie was based on actual events of husband and TV series producer Bruce Beresford-Redman (played by Colin Egglesfield) in the murder of his wife Monica (played by Leonor Varela) while vacationing in Mexico with their two (2) children, it was interesting to find out what actually happened back in 2010. Obviously a film crew can only provide a high level informative view within a 2 (two) hour movie related to Monica Beresford-Redman's murder to which Bruce still claims he is innocent of. Bruce however does not deny that his marriage was on shaky ground as a result of his known affair with a co-worker in which he continued to communicate with his mistress long after he committed to his wife that the affair was over and he was willing to go to a marriage counsellor to save his marriage. The resemblance of the two main actors Colin Egglesfield and Leonor Varela was close to the likeness of the real Bruce and Monica Beresford-Redman. The film stuck to the main events leading up to the disappearance of Monica, and the initial investigation and subsequent interrogation of Bruce after his wife Monica's body was found in a sewer just outside from the hotel, Moon Palace Spa and Golf Resort just outside of Cancun, where the family was vacationing. What I did appreciate about the film was the director/producer did not embellish their film with any false action scenes to try and glorify their film. Instead they appeared to stick to the known facts surrounding Monica and Bruce's strained marriage, and their love for their two young children who through no fault of their own are still suffering from the loss of both their parents. Their mother is dead, murdered by their father according to the Mexican court of law, and their father remains in a Mexican prison where he will stay for at least four (4) more years. I give this made for television movie a decent 5 out of 10 rating.

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• Director, Mark Gantt, elevates the "Based on a True Story" Genre and Weaves a Thought Provoking Story

  jd-538-7938682015-09-28

  This is an inspired by a true story movie - If you live here in Southern California, the tragic story of the murder of Mónica Beresford-Redman in 2010 is one that was on the top of headlines for months as her husband accused of her murder, Bruce Beresford-Redman, producer of Survivor and Pimp that Ride maintains to this day that he is innocent. The big question is, "Did he do it?" During the investigation it was discovered they had marital problems and he was having an affair. But is that enough to convict him? The Mexican government sentenced him to 12 years, there was a lot of sentiment that he thought he could outwit the investigators because of his association with Survivor, did that prejudice the judge? So many if's but no hard core evidence. This movie takes the audience on the ride presenting the "evidence" and showing the explanation in time going back to that moment and playing it back. At the end of the movie, as in real life, we still don't know for sure as Bruce Beresford-Redman, is still in jail and no one has provided evidence beyond the statistic that the husband did it. The director was very careful not to convict but tell the story, and create engagement and treat the audience and the story with respect, not spoon feeding a story but telling it in such a way that Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, would be proud.

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• Too much jumping around in time

  phd_travel2015-10-01

  The recent headlines about produced Bruce Beresford Redman and the murder of his wife in Cancun is the subject of this based on a true story lifetime movie. Like the Amanda Knox movie, the cast is good with Client List's Colin Egglesfield as the main character and Leonor Varela as his wife. The jumping back and forth in time is very confusing and unnecessary. Almost every other scene seems to be a flashback. The movie tries to be neutral about guilt. Although it does show that he had an affair and she wanted to leave him, the movie doesn't come out definitely pointing to guilt one way or another. After watching this, there doesn't seem much more than circumstantial evidence linking him to the actual crime. A bit more of the trial and holes in the prosecution case could have been shown to balance things out.

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• ***1/2

  edwagreen2015-09-29

  True story with a familiar line of a marriage on the rocks and a television producer taking his family to Mexico for vacation in hopes of reconciling. In the interim, his wife is strangled and quite naturally the Mexican authorities focus their attention on the husband. The wife goes for this as she really loves her husband, but when she finds out that he is constantly texting his lover, all bets are off. It is then when the murder takes place. The husband blames a male working at the hotel for what has occurred, stating that he believed he had attempted to come on to his wife. Is it really true that under Mexican law, you're guilty until proved innocent?

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