The Honeymoon Killers 
Directed by Leonard Kastle and Donald Volkman
Written by Leonard Kastle
1969/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Instant
Mother: [shouting at Martha from the window of the rest home she’s been dumped at] Goddamn you, goddamn you! I hope you end up like this! I hope someone does this to YOU!
i loved this darkly comic take on the classic ‘lovers-on-the-lam’ trope of film noir.
This is the “true story” of Raymond Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco) and Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler), who are suspected to have killed more than 20 women in 1947 and 1949 when they were known as the “Lonely Hearts Killers”. Raymond is a con-artist who makes his living ripping off wealthy widows he meets through newspaper ads. Martha is an embittered, overweight nurse who advertises in the lonely-hearts column. Somehow, they make the perfect couple.
Martha is perfectly willing to put up with Tony’s serial weddings so long as she can go along for the ride as his sister.
The director says that this was his response to Bonnie and Clyde (1967) but it reminds me more of noir films of the early 50’s. All of it seemed fairly tongue in cheek and there is very little graphic violence. I liked it.
