The Iceman Cometh---Richard Kuklinski
Without Prejudice
I was fascinated by the Documentary on Richard Kuklinski, the serial killer known as The Iceman, mainly as he was such a paradox. On the one hand a devoted family man, loving Father, solid citizen in the community, a regular church goer and on the other hand a cold blooded remorseless killer. A Tony from the Sopranos, a Jersey Boy of the worst kind. A study in human psychology, a fascinating study in human psychology, as he said in one of his interviews,
" If I am coming to get you, I'm coming forward, not stopping, just coming forward"
The fascination lies in his not being able to feel, ....
Anything.
No revulsion, no squeamishness, no pity, no remorse, no sleepless nights for him.
Was he damaged genetically or was he made like that ?
Richard Kuklinski was born into violence. His father Stanley had no hesitation in beating his Son, often for no reason. Just sometimes because he was there. Kuklinski also had a difficult relationship with his Mother, who he came to despise. Little comfort, warmth or nurturing as a child. He wonders at least towards the end of the interview with the famous psychiatrist Park Dietz what made him the uncaring cold killer with no feeling. No feeling whatsoever when he killed.
He seems to be then almost child like in his wonder, and has only agreed to see Dietz to gauge some sort of answer to his yearning question. Why can I not feel ?
He states that his inability to feel anything for his victims made him realise that he thought he really was crazy. Park then asks him if he knows what an adrenalin rush feels like and Kuklinski answers in the affirmative but says he feels it only in Sex. And Dietz remarks that is a different feeling, a pleasurable feeling but Kuklinski interrupts him and states that is the only feeling he has ever had. Sex gives him a feeling but nothing else does.
He didnt get a pleasurable thrill by beating, torturing or killing anyone. He felt nothing. Jeffrey Dahmer said that he felt revulsion in the cutting up of bodies of his victims, but Kuklinski feels nothing. He never has and he wants to know why. He was picked on, bullied as a kid and said that one day as a teen decided to fight back, become a tough guy. But Dietz has already extracted from him that as a child he had no problem with hurting animals.
So as a forensic psychiatrist, Dietz starts to see the typical profile of a paranoid psychopath. Created, mostly, not born.
He had no feeling for his victims and states as did Leon in one of my favourite movies of all time, The Professional.
" No women, no kids"
When he first appears on camera for the interview in jail, he is a massive bear of a man walking down a corridor flanked by two guards bigger than him. He seems happy, relaxed, smiles often and answers to Diets first question, almost laughing
"Do you consider yourself an assassin"
" An assassin, sounds so exotic"
" I was just a murderer"
It's that frankness and refreshing honesty, almost a humble apology, that exemplifies the dichotomy of the man. On the one hand he doesn't want to be seen as having an enlarged ego but at the same time wants to show Dietz that he is " Just a murderer". Knowing or not knowing what that sort of statement would have on the people watching the interview, the T.V. Audience.
It's a statement, a fact, that he delivers as flatly as if he was stating he was just a humble bread delivery driver, carpenter, builder.
To be continued.........
I was fascinated by the Documentary on Richard Kuklinski, the serial killer known as The Iceman, mainly as he was such a paradox. On the one hand a devoted family man, loving Father, solid citizen in the community, a regular church goer and on the other hand a cold blooded remorseless killer. A Tony from the Sopranos, a Jersey Boy of the worst kind. A study in human psychology, a fascinating study in human psychology, as he said in one of his interviews,
" If I am coming to get you, I'm coming forward, not stopping, just coming forward"
The fascination lies in his not being able to feel, ....
Anything.
No revulsion, no squeamishness, no pity, no remorse, no sleepless nights for him.
Was he damaged genetically or was he made like that ?
Richard Kuklinski was born into violence. His father Stanley had no hesitation in beating his Son, often for no reason. Just sometimes because he was there. Kuklinski also had a difficult relationship with his Mother, who he came to despise. Little comfort, warmth or nurturing as a child. He wonders at least towards the end of the interview with the famous psychiatrist Park Dietz what made him the uncaring cold killer with no feeling. No feeling whatsoever when he killed.
He seems to be then almost child like in his wonder, and has only agreed to see Dietz to gauge some sort of answer to his yearning question. Why can I not feel ?
He states that his inability to feel anything for his victims made him realise that he thought he really was crazy. Park then asks him if he knows what an adrenalin rush feels like and Kuklinski answers in the affirmative but says he feels it only in Sex. And Dietz remarks that is a different feeling, a pleasurable feeling but Kuklinski interrupts him and states that is the only feeling he has ever had. Sex gives him a feeling but nothing else does.
He didnt get a pleasurable thrill by beating, torturing or killing anyone. He felt nothing. Jeffrey Dahmer said that he felt revulsion in the cutting up of bodies of his victims, but Kuklinski feels nothing. He never has and he wants to know why. He was picked on, bullied as a kid and said that one day as a teen decided to fight back, become a tough guy. But Dietz has already extracted from him that as a child he had no problem with hurting animals.
So as a forensic psychiatrist, Dietz starts to see the typical profile of a paranoid psychopath. Created, mostly, not born.
He had no feeling for his victims and states as did Leon in one of my favourite movies of all time, The Professional.
" No women, no kids"
When he first appears on camera for the interview in jail, he is a massive bear of a man walking down a corridor flanked by two guards bigger than him. He seems happy, relaxed, smiles often and answers to Diets first question, almost laughing
"Do you consider yourself an assassin"
" An assassin, sounds so exotic"
" I was just a murderer"
It's that frankness and refreshing honesty, almost a humble apology, that exemplifies the dichotomy of the man. On the one hand he doesn't want to be seen as having an enlarged ego but at the same time wants to show Dietz that he is " Just a murderer". Knowing or not knowing what that sort of statement would have on the people watching the interview, the T.V. Audience.
It's a statement, a fact, that he delivers as flatly as if he was stating he was just a humble bread delivery driver, carpenter, builder.
To be continued.........
