One of the most striking guilty pleasures of the last decade or so for many viewers looking for a nice evening at home is watching true crime documentaries. Getting into the mind of a killer has become quite the American pastime in millions of households, including through wildly popular true crime podcasts, and one documentary that made Netflix the go-to resource for all things murder was the 2018 series “Evil Genius.”
I recently rewatched this stunning docuseries, which depicts a pizza delivery man named Brian Wells who, in 2003 in Erie, Pennsylvania, is filmed with a bomb strapped to his collar before it explodes in front of local police. The details of this case and the conspiracies surrounding it led directly to the arrest of Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, a self-described genius who investigators believed concocted the plot to kill Wells. Why and how are at the center of a docuseries where Diehl-Armstrong is interviewed from prison, denying her involvement while attempting to manipulate the filmmakers recording her story.
Now, Courteney Cox, best known for her work on “Friends,” has debuted her latest directorial effort at the Toronto International Film Festival, also titled “Evil Genius” and covering the same ground, albeit in narrative form this time around. Based on the 2018 docuseries, we witness a film adaptation of events leading up to Wells’ death and the reasoning behind his high-profile murder. Cox’s adaptation is a stellar portrayal of life imitating art, capturing the mind of a would-be killer… or killers.
Oscar winner Patricia Arquette steps into the demonic shoes of Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, a woman once known for her beauty and intelligence who falls into the wrong crowd. That crowd includes Bill Rothstein (David Harbour), a former lover turned bestie who would do anything to protect Marjorie and at any cost. When we first meet the two on screen, we quickly learn that the cost includes helping to decapitate the frozen body of Marjorie’s boyfriend, whom she killed in a fit of rage.
The murder of Brian Wells comes at the price of a bank heist at Erie’s PNC Bank, an institution that Marjorie feels betrayed her out of her large inheritance when her mother passed away. So she concocts a plan, along with an amateur hitman, convicted felon, prostitute, and her old pal Bill, to strap a bomb to a pizza delivery guy and force him to steal money from the bank, in addition to putting a hit out on her own father. As convoluted as that sounds, Cox makes sure in the title card of the film to inform her audience that “You can’t make this shit up.”
And for the most part, Cox and team don’t.
“Evil Genius” replays many of the events that involve the planning and, er, execution of the bank heist that became widely known in the early 2000s as the pizza bomber case. Cold and a master manipulator, Marjorie is a classic serial killer portrayed on the silver screen as a puppeteer…too bad her puppets like to talk. It’s a real-life character any actress would love to sink their teeth into, and Arquette is up to the challenge, playing the lead with vigor and unbridled strength.
The film presents nothing new for anyone who became a fan of the 2018 docuseries of the same name, but its presentation of the merry band of idiots at the center of the plot creates space for questions about who was involved, how they could have pulled off such a stupid crime, and who these terribly eccentric people were. Harbour throws all his weight into playing the overalls-clad Rothstein, as the finger-pointing and accusations add up. The FBI investigation into Wells’ death complicates matters for all involved, and Cox does a fantastic job of keeping her audience guessing as to who is the true mastermind behind it all.
Up until her death almost 10 years ago, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was committed to telling the truth about what happened to Brian Wells. The only problem is that that’s just her side of the story… and one person’s truth might not be the whole truth.
“Evil Genius” asks tough questions but doesn’t provide easy answers, and that’s exactly why this case has always simultaneously confused and enthralled those who are open to learning more about it.
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