''The Riverman'' is a 2004 American

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

directed by

Bill Eagles Bill Eagles is a British film and television director. He is best known for directing the 2000 film '' Beautiful Creatures'' starring Susan Lynch and Rachel Weisz. As a television director, he moved to Los Angeles in 2003 and worked for 10 ye ...

and written by Tom Towler, based on the 2004 non-fiction book ''The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer'' by

Robert D. Keppel Robert David Keppel (June 15, 1944 – June 14, 2021) was an American law enforcement officer and detective. He was also an associate professor at the University of New Haven and Sam Houston State University. Keppel was known for his contributi ...

and

William J. Birnes William J. "Bill" Birnes (born November 7, 1944) is an American author, the incoming auditor for Solebury Township, Pennsylvania, the chairman of the board at Sunrise Community Counseling Center, and ufologist. Education Birnes earned a degre ...

. Shot in Halifax, Canada, the film stars

Bruce Greenwood Stuart Bruce Greenwood (born August 12, 1956) is a Canadian actor and producer. He is known for his role as the American president John F. Kennedy in '' Thirteen Days,'' for which he won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion ...

Sam Jaeger Samuel Heath Jaeger (born January 29, 1977) is an American actor and screenwriter. Life and career Jaeger was born in Perrysburg, Ohio, the son of LeAnne (née Graening) and Charles Jaeger. He is the youngest of four children. He graduated from ...

Kathleen Quinlan Kathleen Denise Quinlan Abbott (born November 19, 1954) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 1977 film of the novel '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,'' and her Golde ...

, and

Cary Elwes Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (; born 26 October 1962) is an English actor and writer. He is known for his leading film roles as Westley in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), Robin Hood in '' Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' (1993), and Dr. Lawrence Gordon in ...

. It premiered on A&E on September 6, 2004. The film follows real life incidents around how convicted infamous serial killer

Ted Bundy Theodore Robert Bundy (Name change, born Cowell; November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989) was an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped and murdered numerous young women and girls during the 1970s and possibly earlier. After more th ...

helps detectives

and

Dave Reichert David George Reichert (; born August 29, 1950) is an American politician, veteran, and former sheriff who served as the U.S. representative for Washington's 8th congressional district from 2005 to 2019. He is a Republican and is the former ele ...

by providing insights into the mind of a psychopath killer to catch then active murderer Green River Killer aka Gary Ridgway.

Plot

, a criminology professor at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seatt ...

, is approached by Detective

to help

profile Profile or profiles may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Music * ''Profile'' (Jan Akkerman album), 1973 * ''Profile'' (Githead album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Pat Donohue album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Duke Pearson album), 1959 * '' ''Profi ...

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

preying on prostitutes in the

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

area. Keppel agrees over the objections of his wife Sande, who is tired of him spending more time with crime scene investigations than with her. Keppel receives a letter from serial killer

, whom Keppel had helped send to

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution ...

, offering to "consult" on the case. Keppel conducts a series of interviews with Bundy under the guise of wanting his expertise. In reality, he is hoping that Bundy will reveal details of his own murders before he is executed. Bundy is little help in profiling the killer, whom he dubs "The Riverman", but he does shed light on his own

pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

, particularly his need to "possess" his victims, even to the point of

necrophilia Necrophilia, also known as necrophilism, necrolagnia, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia, is sexual attraction towards or a sexual act involving corpses. It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its ...

. Finally, Bundy confesses to several unsolved murders in the vain hope that Keppel will delay his execution. Meanwhile, Keppel and Reichert question a suspect,

Gary Ridgway Gary Leon Ridgway (born February 18, 1949), also known as the Green River Killer, is an American serial killer and sex offender. He was initially convicted of 48 separate murders. As part of his plea bargain, another conviction was added, brin ...

, and take a DNA sample. Years later, the DNA is used to convict Ridgway of the murders.

Cast

as Sande Keppel *

* Dave Brown as

Sarah Manninen Sarah Manninen (born November 6, 1976) is a Canadian film, television and stage actress, better known for her appearances on film ''The Prince and Me'' and series '' The Line''. Career A Finnish Canadian, Manninen graduated from Resurrection Ca ...

as Georgeann Hawkins

References

External links

* 2004 television films 2004 films 2004 biographical drama films 2004 crime drama films 2004 crime thriller films 2004 thriller drama films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films 2000s serial killer films A&E (TV network) original films American biographical drama films American crime drama films American crime thriller films American drama television films American serial killer films American thriller drama films American thriller television films Biographical films about serial killers Biographical television films Crime television films Films about Ted Bundy Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by Bill Eagles Films scored by Jeff Rona Films set in Seattle Films shot in Halifax, Nova Scotia Television films based on books Thriller films based on actual events {{2000s-crime-film-stub