Love is a bitch ... called Martha.
1970-02-04
N/A
108 min
Martha Beck, an obese nurse who is desperately lonely, joins a "correspondence club" and finds a romantic pen pal in Ray Fernandez. Martha falls hard for Ray, and is intent on sticking with him even when she discovers he's a con man who seduces lonely single women, kills them and then takes their money. She poses as Ray's sister and joins Ray on a wild killing spree, fueled by her lingering concern that Ray will leave her for one of his marks.
The "anti-Bonnie and Clyde," as described by the film's director Leonard Kastle. Who? Yeah, I never heard of him either. He made one movie and it's 1) a classic, 2) part of the Criterion Collection, and 3) one of François Truffaut's favorites. It was also a movie Martin Scorsese started to direct but was let go! So what is it? A low-budget, independent true crime story about a notorious team of con artists and killers. It has gorgeous black and white camerawork and excellent acting. It's creepy and original, and entirely gripping.
