Movies of War

The Games may be done, but Jenn and I have one final Olympic Crime to discuss on Murder Made Fiction before we move into a new month. After tackling Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding three different ways (a 30 for 30 episode, the NBC satire Nancy and Tonya: The Inside Story, and Craig Gillespie’s star studded I, Tonya), we spent last week looking at eccentric millionaire John du Pont’s paranoid time at Foxcatcher farms. Now it’s time to discuss South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius, who made headlines when he competed in both the Paralympics, as well as the 2012 Olympics. The double amputee was an inspiration, garnered all kinds of press, and became an instant celebrity (it didn’t hurt that he was deemed extremely attractive). On the night of Feb 13, 2013, Pistorius heard a noise in his apartment and (he claims he) mistook it for an intruder. Brandishing his gun, he shot several times through the bathroom door, striking his girlfriend, model and lawyer Reeva Steenkamp, multiple times. She died on the scene. Pistorius was tried in March 2014 and eventually found guilty of culpable manslaughter, with the prosecution repeatedly going back to demand a harsher sentence and longer prison time for what they believed was murder. The 2017 Lifetime film Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer doesn’t address most of Pistorius’ athletic accomplishments or his celebrity. Alas the screenplay by Adam Freeman and Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Amber Benson doesn’t have much interest in exploring the race, class, or celebrity aspects of the case; the film principally focuses on the murder as an extreme example of intimate partner violence. It is a Lifetime film, after all! Want even more Murder Made Fiction? Be sure to check out the pod’s Patreon feed, where Jenn and I have ~135 hours of content including a bear attack double feature with Grizzly Night and Cocaine Bear and discussions about last year’s most powerful true crime documentaries: The Perfect Neighbor, Predators, and Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke. Related Topics:Amber BensonlifetimeOlympic Crimeoscar pistoriustrue crime Joe Lipsett Joe is a TV addict with a background in Film Studies. He co-created TV/Film Fest blog QueerHorrorMovies and writes for Bloody Disgusting, Anatomy of a Scream, That Shelf, The Spool and Grim Magazine. He enjoys graphic novels, dark beer and plays multiple sports (adequately, never exceptionally). While he loves all horror, if given a choice, Joe always opts for slashers and creature features. Advertisement You may like An Eccentric Millionaire Murders A US Olympian in ‘Foxcatcher’ [Murder Made Fiction Podcast] ‘Team Foxcatcher’ Follows the Fall of the American Dream [Murder Made Fiction Podcast] ‘I, Tonya’ Takes Female Rivalry to the Rink [Murder Made Fiction Podcast] ‘The Price of Gold’ Chronicles a Heated and Dangerous Rivalry [Murder Made Fiction Podcast] Teri Polo, Dylan Walsh, Jamie-Lynn Sigler to Star in Lifetime Thriller ‘The Man in the Window’ First Look at Abigail Breslin in Lifetime Thriller ‘I Killed Him in My Sleep’ Click to comment