**SPOILERS** Interesting film about the life times and crimes of one of America's most notorious serial killers Albert Fish, Patrick Bauchau. Fish not only murdered his victims he cannibalized them as well which made him a perfect candidate, when he stood trial, for an insanity defense that would have saved him a one way trip to the Sing Sing electric chair.
Being that Fish was actually looking froward to get strapped into the chair, he was reported to say it would be the biggest thrill in his life, he made little if any attempt to defend himself in trying to convince the jury that he was, which was very possible,insane and ended up getting his wish. Fish at age 65 was executed in Sing Sing prison on the morning of January 16, 1936 being one of the oldest persons to be executed in New York State history. For all the crimes that Fish was reported to have committed, that included some half dozen murders, he was tried convicted and executed for the kidnap murder of 12 year-old Grace Budd, Lexi Ainwsorth. It was Fish himself who by sending an anonymous letter to Grace's parents admitting his crime that lead the police to track him down and finally put an end to his reign of terror.
The film "The Gray Man" goes deep into Albert Fish's sick mind in showing how he as a young boy became fascinated with pain, that was inflicted on him at the orphanage he spent his early years in, and how that fascination, that lead to his purposely torturing himself, shaped his entire adult life. Fish also became some kind of religious fanatic who explained away his horrendous crimes in saving his victims, all young children, the pains of either being raped or corrupted in the future!
Like most serial killer Fish,in him being in his 50's and 60's when he committed his crimes, came across as a both sweet and kindly old man to his intended victims, and their family members, that masked the real intentions that he had in store for them. It was Fish's own sense of invincibility, by getting away with his crimes for so long, that in the end did him in. It also took the efforts of New York City Police Detective Will King, Jack Conley, to track Fish down and finally bring him to justice.
Det. King never gave up in trying to find little Grace Budd's murderer when everyone else did. Suffering a serious mental breakdown that landed him in the hospital for weeks Det. King still worked on the Grace Budd murder case, from his hospital bed, until he got the brake that he so long, for some six years, had waited for. And ironically that brake came from Albert Fish himself!
Being that Fish was actually looking froward to get strapped into the chair, he was reported to say it would be the biggest thrill in his life, he made little if any attempt to defend himself in trying to convince the jury that he was, which was very possible,insane and ended up getting his wish. Fish at age 65 was executed in Sing Sing prison on the morning of January 16, 1936 being one of the oldest persons to be executed in New York State history. For all the crimes that Fish was reported to have committed, that included some half dozen murders, he was tried convicted and executed for the kidnap murder of 12 year-old Grace Budd, Lexi Ainwsorth. It was Fish himself who by sending an anonymous letter to Grace's parents admitting his crime that lead the police to track him down and finally put an end to his reign of terror.
The film "The Gray Man" goes deep into Albert Fish's sick mind in showing how he as a young boy became fascinated with pain, that was inflicted on him at the orphanage he spent his early years in, and how that fascination, that lead to his purposely torturing himself, shaped his entire adult life. Fish also became some kind of religious fanatic who explained away his horrendous crimes in saving his victims, all young children, the pains of either being raped or corrupted in the future!
Like most serial killer Fish,in him being in his 50's and 60's when he committed his crimes, came across as a both sweet and kindly old man to his intended victims, and their family members, that masked the real intentions that he had in store for them. It was Fish's own sense of invincibility, by getting away with his crimes for so long, that in the end did him in. It also took the efforts of New York City Police Detective Will King, Jack Conley, to track Fish down and finally bring him to justice.
Det. King never gave up in trying to find little Grace Budd's murderer when everyone else did. Suffering a serious mental breakdown that landed him in the hospital for weeks Det. King still worked on the Grace Budd murder case, from his hospital bed, until he got the brake that he so long, for some six years, had waited for. And ironically that brake came from Albert Fish himself!