User reviews

I think this movie could have been a truly good film. Unfortunately, the mixture of this period film with rock and roll music and synthesizer music makes this almost unbearable. The acting is good and the scenery is well done. Costumes are perfect for the period. Christina Ricci plays the part well as she does with most of the roles she takes on. I also like Clea Duvall as Emma. She does a great job opposite Ricci. I only wish that Nick Gomez would have hired someone to do the music that would have put the scenes with music that fit the period. I think some piano, violin, and other strings would have been much more suitable to this film. Occasionally there is some nice creepy music over some scenes, but in the transitions between scenes we are forced to hear Sons Of Jezebel's song "Whoo Boy". It just doesn't fit. Overall this movie was a let down.

Lifetime TV movie about the murder trial of Lizzie Borden. I think we're all pretty familiar with the case so I won't go over that part. Basically, Lifetime takes the Lizzie Borden story and adds sex appeal and rock music. It's pretty silly at times but entertaining enough. Christina Ricci's performance borders on campy which probably helps the movie more than harms it. Having seen and read quite a bit over the years about this case I know they played fast & loose with the facts, as just about any movie does with historical events. Although I could be wrong and Lizzie did, in fact, show off her cleavage and go to raves. Maybe historians just don't want us to know the ugly truth. If this were a theatrical release I would rate it lower. But since it's made for television, it's actually above par. If you can find it you should definitely check out the 1970s TV movie with Elizabeth Montgomery called The Legend of Lizzie Borden. It's much better and you can enjoy it on a serious level without the giggle factor this version produces.

My wife and I both enjoyed this movie, and she had just recently read a book on the case. The story was well-told and left open for interpretation, for most of the movie, to whether she was guilty or not. The acting was excellent and the period costumes were as well. However, whoever allowed this soundtrack to be used tried their best to ruin the whole experience. I don't think a thriller/mystery set in 1892 should have 21st-century electric/amplified rock music inserted, especially in the first half of the movie. To have a scene or a transition of a movie set in the 1890's interrupted by an amplified guitar and keyboards with the nauseating "Oooooo, boy!" was not only ridiculous, after a while we started laughing and wondering when the next inappropriate music would come bursting in. Overall, however, it's a very good TV movie.

Was looking forward to watching this but a let down. As the others reviewers added, music was awful. Should have been no music or period music. Blaring Sons of Anarchy-type songs did not fit in with an 1892 murder case! And was so poorly edited as to block out characters speaking...! Ricci performance was decent. Rest of movie a disappointment. Would have liked more development on Bridget the Irish maid and Emma. Possibly more angles from neighbors, town-folk. The movie to watch on the case was Legend of Lizzie Borden with Elizabeth Montgomery. What a surprise from her Bewitched days! Her portrayal was edgy and spot on.

I just finished watching this movie and i thought it was a really great production for lifetime TV movie. I actually think it could've been released in theatre's.

The acting was well done. This movie was also very good at maintaining suspense.

the only criticism was some of the music they chose which was not suited for the era this movie was set in.

I read some other posts on here that agree about the music but i don't think bad music should create so much negativity on what looked like a good production overall.

Having said that...the reasons why my views on this movie might be more positive than others is because

• i watch a lot of lifetime movies and felt as though this film was much better than the typical lifetime TV movie.

• i never watched the original movie made in the 1975 with Elizabeth Montgomery

• i haven't followed the original case so i didn't have any ideas on what or how this movie should be like.

so if you are like me... and come into the movie without any idea about this case or the history of it. you might enjoy it.

The true story of Lizzie Borden (Christina Ricci), a young woman tried and acquitted in the 1892 murders of her father and stepmother.

My rating on this film is a bit lower than it possibly should be. Honestly, the only reason it is not better than it is stems from the limitations of being a made-for-TV movie. The budget is limited and other matters may be truncated or simplified. But you have to give them credit, because despite the limits everyone gave 100% and we even get decent gore.

Most interesting, at least to me, is how the writer tried to stick to the historical record. Maybe not perfect (what is?), but where the film could have been sensational, it instead follows the more or less true story of the murders and trial. The "whacks" are not 40, and even the death locations match the known photographs.

I'm just going to get this off my chest right away.

What was with that abhorrent soundtrack? This would've been a much better movie if it weren't for that awful music. Seriously. Rock & Roll? Stuff that sounds like grunge metal? In a movie that's set in the late 1800s? That makes *awesome* sense! Not.

If you can get past the soundtrack and give it a chance, it's a decent movie. I didn't really care for Christina Ricci, she just didn't seem that believable to me, but Billy Campbell was pretty good; though I've seen him in better things.

I just can't get over that soundtrack though. Yuck. It made an OK movie nearly unwatchable. My advice: Don't waste your time on this one.

Christina Ricci stars in this made-for-TV dramatization of the 1893 trial of Lizzie Andrew Borden for the murder of her father and step-mother in Fall River, Massachusetts. The highly-stylized production recounts events immediately surrounding the murders and subsequent trial. Lizzie Borden Took an Ax (2014) was later developed into a TV Mini-Series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015). It blends a modern soundtrack with historic events to create an oddly entertaining take on the controversial case.

At 11:10 a.m. on August 4, 1892, Lizzy Borden (Christina Ricci), 32, yelled for the family maid, Bridget Sullivan (Hannah Anderson), to quickly come downstairs. She discovered her father, Andrew (Stephen McHattie), slumped over the sofa. His head had been bashed in. Abby (Sara Botsford), Lizzy's stepmother, was found on the floor of an upstairs bedroom, her head and face smashed. Lizzy gave police strange and often conflicting information, and she quickly became the chief suspect.

Her New Bedford trial, beginning in June 1893, was a national sensation, widely reported in the newspapers. It took the jury 90 minutes to acquit her, and with her inheritance, she purchased a new home and lived there with her sister Emma (Clea DuVall). Despite efforts to start a new life, Lizzy Borden was ostracized from Fall River society, since many people believed she was the murderer.

There are several alternative theories about "who done it," but Lizzie Borden Took an Ax doesn't entertain any of them. It openly implies Lizzie was the murderer, even going so far as to imagine Lizzie confessing the crime to her sister, causing her to flee their home in disgust. In fact, the two sisters split in an argument over a party in 1905, 12 years after the trial. We'll never know what the sisters said to each other in private conversation, so this is creative license at work.

The film weirdly sexualizes Lizzie Borden, and for that, Christina Ricci was perfect for the role, but Ricci looks nothing like a proper, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant spinster. The real Lizzie Borden was a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, which advocated abstinence from alcohol. Rumors about Lizzie's sexuality revolved around an alleged relationship with the actress Nance O'Neil, but this gossip was probably of the kind leveled at any unmarried, middle-aged person at the time. Lizzie is portrayed as attempting to seduce everyone who gets in her way, even her own father, and is shown committing the murders in the nude.

Lizzie Borden Took an Ax is well-paced. This 87-minute movie doesn't waste time dwelling on irrelevant information or side stories. It effectively shows the tension in the Borden household prior to the murders and moves on. The audience doesn't need to see flashbacks of Lizzie's childhood, labored exposition, or other staples of historic biopics. The filmmakers establish their backgrounds with a few lines and a few short scenes.

Veteran character actor Gregg Henry was given the unenviable role of playing prosecutor Hosea Knowlton, who is portrayed in this film as the antagonist. Lizzie Borden gives him every reason to suspect she's the killer, yet Knowlton's insistence on prosecuting her comes off as a witch-hunt, as few believe her capable of a brutal double murder. He is a forceful presence on screen, but his edge is dulled by the knowledge he'll ultimately lose the case. Filmmakers tried to cast the verdict as a surprise, but it's hard to do that when your source material is a real trial.

There are many ways to make a compelling film about the Borden murders–the drama practically writes itself. Lizzie Borden Took an Ax chose not to focus on alternative theories, public interest in the case (it was the first trial followed nationally in the American press), or social issues, but to glamorize Lizzie herself. Christina Ricci fans love this movie, and it's a capable and entertaining introduction to the case, just don't reference it in a history paper.

"I told you what happened. Do you think I'm hiding something from you?" During the summer of 1892 in the town of Fall River, Massachusetts a young woman named Lizzie Borden (Ricci)returns to her house and finds her father and step-mother brutally murdered. When the police begin to investigate all the evidence points to Lizzie. Her lawyer comes up with the only defense available. How could a woman kill anyone in that fashion? First of all this is a Lifetime movie so those of you looking for gore and horror can look elsewhere. The movie isn't bad but is glaringly obvious that this is a low budget made for TV movie. The story of this murder is very intriguing and is a good idea for a movie, but the fact that Lifetime did it really tones down what could be a great movie. Christina Ricci is the perfect choice for this role and she is really the only thing that saves the movie. Most of the movie is a courtroom drama which I usually love and the defense that a petite woman couldn't do this is very interesting and shows what the country used to be like. The biggest problem with this movie is that it never achieves the tense feeling it was going for. It is very flat and not as interesting as it could have been. As a side note the music choices were awful, when you watch it you will see what I mean. Overall, flat and emotionless, even for a made-for-TV movie. I give this a C.

By far the best one I have seen so far. Christina Ricci does a fantastic job. Not garbage like Kristen Stewarts version. It should be called Lezzie ;)

I think this film is well cast and, for the most part, pretty well executed. Without the absurd and ridiculous choice of music for its soundtrack, it could have been much better. Such hard rock and heavy metal music relates in no way whatever to the story or the time period. In fact, I opted to review this film simply because of how bad the soundtrack is. There are several things I appreciate about this film, particularly that it portrays the people and events accurately according to case files and history.

You probably know the "Lizzie Borden took an axe" children's rhyme and wondered where it came from. This movie tells the story of the real crime that formed the basis of the rhyme.

I was quite surprised that the actual case took place as recently as 1892. The rhyme had always seemed very traditional to me; I thought it must have been based on something a very long time ago.

Thankfully, the sound track was used at only half a dozen places in the film, because it was so inappropriate that it could easily have ruined everything. While the story took place in a sedate New England town, where people lived genteel lives, sipping tea and wearing frock coats (think Anne of Green Gables), the sound track was screaming rock. Unbelievably jarring. Even in a party scene where people were dancing whatever they danced in those days of long gowns--waltzes, I suppose--it was portrayed minus the sounds of the party, minus the music that would have been played there, all replaced with a nerve-jangling sound track of rock music. Whoever made that decision should find another field to work in. Horrible.

"Lizzie Borden took an axe, Gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one."

While this isn't the slasher film you might expect, it's still pretty good. Christina Ricci plays Lizzie Borden so well. She's the perfect mix of innocent and crazy. The storyline flows pretty well, and keeps you interested to the end, it's the perfect length with just enough details. Supporting characters also play their parts very well, some belief but mostly skepticism.

First off, great title! Also, great star in Christina Ricci as Lizzie Borden. This is not your typical Lifetime movie. I don't watch much Lifetime but I saw the ad for this, and I was like I'm in! I like dark, eerie movies. This was not nearly as dark as it could have been, but given that it was a TV movie on Lifetime, it was much darker and creepier than their usual fare.

Great performance by Ricci, and good suspense throughout. The house, town, period piece elements were also really good.

It plays more like the overly-dramatised reenactment segments of a poorly made documentary at times, and the absurd choices on the soundtrack never fail to pull you out of the moment should the attempt at a tense and unnerving atmosphere ever succeed at drawing you in. There is however, an element of charm to Ricci's hypnotic characterisation that piques the curiosity enough to sustain the other lackluster performances, she encapsulates the role perfectly and gives just the right balance of innocent and guilty to really play off the mystery of one of history's greatest unsolved murders.

Well I expected more suspense and more from the whole story line. The movie was terribly slow, very inaccurate on just about all accounts and as everyone else has said a poor soundtrack. Christina Riccis performance was bland and boring. You will find it hard to keep focused as you could easily day dream about anything else while trying to watch this snail paced drama. The whole movie was slow but did cover the key points of the case if you read alot about it. The 1975 movie with Elizabeth Montgomery is by far superior to this version.

I was extremely disappointed with this film. The producers put no effort in even researching the case and just about everything in this film is sensationalized and inaccurate. I usually respect Christina Ricci but her acting is awful and she plays Lizzie like a psychopath in a modern horror film. Absolutely no sense of the time period she's supposed to be in. Props to Clea Duvall for turning a pretty good performance as he older sister Emma. I found this awful Lifetime movie unwatchable.

If you want a horror movie, go see a good one. Not this.

And, if you want information about the real Lizzie Borden, read a book.

This movie was totally inaccurate.

I urge those who are new to the case to do a lot of 'Googling' and read the actual trial testimony, witness statements, etc.

www.lizzieandrewborden.com

is a vast wealth in information. (It is down at this time for maintenance but will be back up, so try again if you can't see it!)

The music and costumes were horrible.

The inaccuracies boggle the mind of anyone who has even done a rudimentary investigation of the case.

The 1975 movie with Elizabeth Montgomery was much better.

I loved it! I suppose there is nothing better than a real event that remains a mystery ever afterwards, and the story of Lizzie Borden is one of those. It never ever fails to fascinate and after all this time still excites much discussion about whether she did or she didn't! This movie is no exception. It was all the better for being a straightforward telling of the facts as they were known at the time with little added or taken away for the sake of sensationalism. What gore there was, was strictly in keeping with what happened on that fateful day. The soundtrack was an unexpected but nice surprise. Hardly contemporary with the days of the late 1800s, it nonetheless added a new dimension to the telling of the story and gave it a fresh feeling. If I have a criticism it is that Christina Ricci was a little doe-like and vulnerable as Lizzie. She acquitted herself well in the part, but by comparison with the real Lizzie she seemed a little less robust than she ought to have been.

Christina Ricci has certainly evolved as an actress since playing Wednesday in "The Addams Family" (1991). This is a very enjoyable, well-made film. I came across this on streaming Netflix, and what a pleasant surprise it was. The musical score is interesting - electric guitars, rock music, etc., which are incongruous with the time period (1890s), but somehow it WORKS. Good art direction, costuming, photography, and overall production values. Christina Ricci's performance definitely makes this worthwhile. I couldn't help comparing it to the Elizabeth Montgomery TV movie version, "The Legend of Lizzie Borden" (1975). There are elements of both films which I like.

The familiar rhyme, "Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. And when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one," is where this TV movie obtained its title. Before the opening credits, we see Sunday school teacher Christina Ricci (as Lizzie Borden) sensuously eating a pear while watching a darkly attractive man outside her window. After this, she walks over to napping father Stephen McHattie (as Andrew Borden) and discovers he has been hacked to death. Understandably shaken, Ms. Ricci's "Lizzie" lets out a scream...

After the credits, we "flashback" to meet the Borden family of Massachusetts and witness the events leading up to the infamous double murder of 1892. Although we were led to believe she is innocent, Lizzie quickly reveals some serious personality flaws. Also involved is big sister Clea DuVall (as Emma Borden), who performs most genuinely. This "Lifetime" TV movie doesn't appear to know what it wants. We end up with a courtroom drama and always wonder where the story is going – if we knew that, we'd know whether or not it got there. A jived-up soundtrack ranges from puzzling to very distracting. The film's pieces simply never fall into place.

*** Lizzie Borden Took an Ax (1/25/14) Nick Gomez ~ Christina Ricci, Clea DuVall, Billy Campbell, Stephen McHattie