I can’t help but wonder why it’s necessary to make a film like this...  Whether the intention is to honor or not, documenting the final thoughts and actions of a murderer seems a strange form of entertainment indeed.  Of course, despite my soapbox, I’m one of those curious enough to rent the damn thing - so perhaps there’s some sadism in myself as well as the makers.

Chapter 27 is a brilliant concept, and one I wish would have stayed in pre-production a little longer.  The film chronicles the days leading up the murder of John Lennon - from Mark David Chapman’s (the murderer’s) point of view. Chapman is played by an overweight Jared Leto.  The title is a reference to J.D. Salinger’s infamous book The Catcher in the Rye, which Chapman was obsessed with (he experienced delusions of being Holden Caulfield - the main character from the book).  Catcher... ends at chapter 26 - and the film’s title is a clever reference to Chapman’s delusion that he was picking up where the book left off.  That the murder of Lennon is the natural next step in the evolution of Caulfield.

Unfortunately, the script (and therefore, the final film) is limited by a poorly-chosen structure. The concept is so ripe for a psychologically complex exploration into Chapman’s mind - and using The Catcher in the Rye to shape the character and inform his actions.  But the script falls back on a tiresome and never-ending voiceover convention, whereby we follow Chapman wondering the streets, mumbling to himself, having silly conversations with characters that mean nothing.

Leto, who put on 67 pounds for the role, reportedly gained the weight by drinking microwaved pints of ice cream mixed with soy sauce and olive oil daily.  At times, he is said to have required a wheelchair due to the stress of the sudden increase in weight.  Leto likely had hopes of garnering some attention for his acting chops here, for his commitment to the craft, but has nowhere to take character but into the two-dimensional world of whispered voiceovers the script dictates.  Probably 80% of his spoken lines are said off-camera.  His presence on-screen is spent yammering and clutching a seemingly-invincible vinyl record, having an occasional angry outburst that doesn’t set off other characters as much as they should.

Lindsay Lohan appears for a few scenes as well, in the role of a throwaway character by the name of Jude; her performance is as uninteresting as the character itself.

Chapter 27, in the end, is a disappointing film with unrealized potential to have been something great.  The concept never delivers.