Criminal Adaptations

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the true story behind the criminally underrated Owning Mahowny (2003). Portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his most understated performances, Dan Mahowny aka Brian Molony is a quiet, unassuming man living a double life – trusted bank manager by day, high-stakes compulsive gambler by night. But how close does the film stay to the truth? We break down the real events involved in the...

In the season premiere of our sixth season, we tackle Steven Soderbergh’s Academy Award winning film Erin Brockovich(2000), starring Julia Roberts and Aaron Eckhart. We break down the true events behind the water contamination in Hinkley, explore the legal battle that became one of the largest settlements of its kind, and examine how Brockovich’s role in the case compares to the version brought to life on screen. Along the way, we ...

Season 6 of Criminal Adaptations is almost here.

This season, we’re diving deeper into the real crimes behind the movies. Unpacking the true stories, the courtroom drama, the scandals, and the cinematic twists that brought them to the screen.

From shocking real-life cases to the films that reimagined them, Season 6 explores how Hollywood transforms crime into culture.

Subscribe now and get ready. New season dropping soon.

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Two films, one real-life National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower, and a story that blurs the line between truth and fiction. In part two of our season finale, we dive into two very different films: Reality (2023), the HBO American crime drama directed by Tina Sater and staring Sydney Sweeney, and Winner (2024), the black comedy directed by Susanna Fogel, staring Emilia Jones, Connie Britton, and Zach Galifianakis. The films of...

The movie Snowden (2016) presents the protagonist as a reluctant whistleblower who sacrifices everything to expose government surveillance – but how closely does the film match the real man and case? In part one of our two-part season finale, we break down Oliver Stone’s biopic, staring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley, alongside the true story of Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor whose l...

If the rage, grief, and unanswered questions at the heart of Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) felt almost too real – that’s because they were. In this episode we start by discussing McDonagh’s critically acclaimed and Oscar winning film, which also happens to be one of co-host Ashley’s favorite movies. Next, we compare the case to the still-unsolved 1991 murder of Kathy Page, a case that has haunte...

In 2016, Jeff Nichols’ Loving, staring Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton, brought the quiet, intimate story of Richard and Mildred Loving to the big screen – but just how closely does the film reflect the real case that changed American history? In this episode, we compare Loving (2016) to the true events of Loving v. Virginia, the landmark 1967 Supreme Court decision that struck down laws banning interracial marriage. We explore who Ri...

In this episode we dive into the wild, chaotic world of Bronson (2008), the stylized film starring Tom Hardy, and unravel how it compares to the real-life story of Michael Gordon Peterson, better known as Charles Bronson. We break down what the movie got right, what it exaggerated, and what was left out entirely. From Bronson’s early life and first arrests, to the decades he spent in solitary conferment, to his transformation into ...

In this episode, we dive deep into the shadows of Savannah to uncover the truth behind Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997). The bestselling book and Clint Eastwood’s film adaptation, staring John Cusack and Kevin Spacey, turned the city’s notorious murder case into a cultural phenomenon – but how closely does Hollywood’s version match reality? Join us as we unravel the real story of Jim Williams, the charismatic antiques...

“You can’t handle the truth!” – the line that echoed through theaters and cemented A Few Good Men (1992) as a Hollywood classic. But behind the sharp uniforms and courtroom tension lies a real story far darker than what is portrayed on screen. In 1986, a Marine was brutally hazed by his unit at Guantanamo Bay – an act that sparked a court-martial and inspired Aaron Sorkin’s legendary script. The film captivated audiences with its s...

In our first ever western episode, we dive into the legend behind Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) – the classic film starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford that turned the two outlaws into folk heroes. How close did Hollywood get to the real story of Robert LeRoy Parker (Butch Cassidy) and Harry Longabaugh (Sundance Kid), and where did the truth get lost? We’ll unpack the infamous train robberies, the Wild Bunch gang, th...

This week we conclude our Halloween bonus series on Ed Gein by talking about episodes five through eight of Monster: The Ed Gein Story. How did this season compare to the last two and what creative liberties were taken to bring Ed Gein’s story to our TV screens? Listen now to find out.

You can stream the full season of Monster: The Ed Gein Story on Netflix.

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This week we continue our Halloween bonus series on Ed Gein by diving into the first four episodes of season three of Netflix’s horror anthology series Monster. Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the series explores real-life infamous crimes through a dramatized lens. Season three focuses on convicted murder and graverobber Ed Gein, played by Charlie Hunnam. How will this season compare to the last two and what creative libert...

In this Halloween inspired bonus episode, we dig into the real-life monster who changed horror forever – Ed Gein, the “Butcher of Plainfield.” His gruesome crimes shocked America in the 1950s and went on to inspire some of cinema’s most iconic villains. After going over Gein’s life and crimes, we explore how Norman Bates in Psycho (1960), Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), and Jame Gumb (Buffalo Bill) in The Silenc...

In this episode, we dive into Bong Joon Ho’s Memories of Murder (2003), the haunting crime thriller based on South Korea’s first confirmed serial killings. We unpack how the film portrays the Hwaseong murders of the 1980s and early 1990s, what details were dramatized for the screen, and how the real investigation unfolded. From the frustrations of a police force unprepared for such crimes, to the decades-long mystery that finally, ...

In this episode, we dive into the true story behind one of the most infamous trials in Australian history: the Lindy Chamberlain case. We compare the real events surrounding the disappearance of baby Azaria Chamberlain in 1980 with the Hollywood Adaptation, Fred Schepisi’s A Cry in the Dark (1988; also known as Evil Angels), starring Meryl Streep. How accurately did the film portray Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, the media frenzy, ...

In this episode, we peel back the layers of Gus Van Sant’s darkly satirical To Die For (1995) and the true story that inspired it: The 1990 murder of Greg Smart, orchestrated by his wife, Pamela Smart. Nicole Kidman’s icy portrayal of Suzanne Stone – an ambitious small-town woman willing to kill for fame – captivated audiences, but how closely does it mirror Pamela herself? We explore the real case: Pamela’s relationship with teena...

In our season five premiere, we put Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can (2002) under the microscope and compare it to the real-life story of Frank Abagnale Jr., the infamous con man whose wild exploits inspired the film. How much of Leonardo DiCaprio’s slick, globe-trotting portrayal matches reality, and how much is pure Hollywood invention? We dive into Abagnale’s early scams, his claims of passing as a pilot, doctor, and lawye...

In part two of our season four finale, we unpack Spike Lee’s Malcolm X (1992), starring Denzel Washington, and examine how it compares to the real-life story of one of American’s most influential and controversial civil rights leaders. We break down the key moments from the film – Malcolm’s childhood, time in prison, conversion to Islam, rise in the Nation of Islam, and eventual split – and weigh them against the historical record....