The crimes committed by South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh are too lurid for words, and a dramatically authentic re-creation of his wrongdoings would make for difficult viewing. But that isn’t the approach taken by Murdaugh Murders: The Movie (Paramount + from Thursday), a cheesy true crime feature that retells the story with a light touch, and which originally aired on America’s featherweight Lifetime Channel, as part of its Ripped From the Headlines series.
It’s remarkably moreish and elevated by a compelling turn by Bill Pullman, a former Hollywood star far too good for the froth that is a Lifetime hallmark. It also provides a succinct overview of Murdaugh’s evil deeds, including the murder of his wife and son and a trail of embezzlement that left clients in the lurch for millions they can never hope to recover.
The action opens on the fateful night of the killing of Maggie Murdaugh (Lauren Robek) and her 22-year-old son Paul (Curtis Tweedie) in June 2021 before flashing back to 2019. At this time, Alex is a leading member of legal high society in South Carolina, having inherited his well-regarded practice from his imposing (but disapproving) father – a former district attorney who makes no secret of his disappointment in his offspring.
Alex, it quickly becomes clear, is not cut out for the life of a high-flying legal eagle and struggles to stay airborne. He is addicted to prescription painkillers, is unable to keep manners on the boorish Paul, and patches up holes in the firm’s finances by ripping off clients.
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Pullman is masterful as a flailing Southern Gentleman whose clubby persona wallpapers over a howling moral void. Yet if he remains outwardly a picture of charm, there are indications that something is deeply amiss – with both Murdaugh and his business. Maggie is surprised to discover a cheque bouncing; Paul stumbles upon suspicious pills in his father’s office – and then the family housekeeper (Tanja Dixon-Warren) dies in a mysterious fall, and Alex encourages her family to sue his insurer for millions in compensation (they will never see the money).
These were horrible events, and you can only feel for Murdaugh’s victims. But there is no denying that they make for a fascinating story – the case has spawned several documentaries and books – and this breezy adaptation is, for all its lack of dramatic substance, deeply bingeable.
