“Bones” Episode Review: Tracking the Murderer Essay (Movie Review)

Introduction: In the World of Forensic Experts. Tracking The Murderer

One of the most controversial and, therefore, the most problematic issues in the sphere of crime fighting, except the fact that crimes are committed every single day and the forensic experts are supposed to expose themselves to the constant danger of being taken hostage, wounded or killed, there is a certain concern about the way the rest of the population takes the image of a forensic expert and the way the population understands the daily routine of the experts.

According to what Byers (2011) says, “When confronted with decomposed bodies or skeletonized remains, forensic anthropologists attempt to provide law enforcement officials with as much information as possible about the decedents and the circumstances surrounding their deaths” (p. 11). Playing an essential role in the process of detecting the crime, forensic anthropologists remain in the shadow, which is most unfair. However, even though the movie in question reveals certain aspects of the forensic anthropologists work, it still contains a number of widespread prejudices, which is another reason for conveying a research on the degree to which the given movie reveals the work of a forensic anthropologist.

Analyzing the Problem: The Case of a Misinterpretation

To bring the matter in question to the attention of the audience, it is necessary to mark that in the given series, the murder revealed during the paintball tournament is revealed, and the most detailed autopsy of the corpse is being conducted to finds out further on that the murderer, the doctor who had been curing the victim in an unorthodox way, was motivated by one of the most vulgar reasons, namely, the money. However, one must give the credit to the plot, since the evidence was the tooth print left on a chewing gum (Hansen 2005).

Looking Closer at the Evidence: The Details That Give Everything Away

Speaking of the issue that makes the movie create an image of a forensic expert that differs from the reality quite considerably is the specifics of the forensic anthropologist’s work, namely, the specific procedures that make the essence of the investigation. Because of the tiniest slips in the sphere of the forensic anthropologists’ working process, the movie suffers from a professional point of view and distorts the image if a forensic anthropologist considerably. As Byers (2011) explains, the essence of a forensic expert’s work consists of achieving “five main objectives,” (p. 1) namely, determining ancestry, sex, age, etc.; offering ideas concerning the nature of the injury, offering suggestions concerning the postmortem interval; locating the remnants so that the investigation could be continued, and offering identifications of the diseased (Byers, 2011, p. 1).

In the given movie, however, the entire process of the forensic analysis is being distorted, and certain essential yet, unfortunately, unattractive moments are skipped. For instance, the concern about the fingerprints (Hanson, 2005) should have risen long before, and the investigation would have gone considerably further. Cutting the issues of the forensic anthropologists’ daily routine, Hanson creates a more entertaining, yet less credible series.

A Cup of Coffee and a Cigarette: The Experts’ Daily Routine

It is important to mark that the specifics of the forensic experts’ work concerns such an important element as osteology. Since a skeleton is the only thing that remains of a human being, it is necessary to consider every single fact that the skeleton of the body can offer to the scientists. As Byers (2011) explains, “all forensic experts must be fully knowledgeable in human osteology and, to a lesser extent, odontology” (p. 27). However, it is quite remarkable that in the given movie, very little attention is paid to examining the skeleton of the victim. Thus, the movie obviously lacks in the most essential details of forensic experts’ routing.

Conclusion: When There’s Nothing to Find. The Truth, Revealed

Summarizing the above-mentioned, one must mark that the movie handles rather well various issues concerning the investigation itself, even though coloring the elements that might seem quite grayish for an average uninitiated spectator, or even skipping the elements that make the movie heavy and boring. Despite the exaggeration of certain facts, one cannot deny the movie certain charm and the detailed portrayal of the deduction process that leads the forensic anthropologists to the main villain of the crime, a psychotic mind that has committed the God-awful crime and has plotted numerous deaths.

However, it must be marked that the movie does have certain flaws which might have considerable impact on the shaping of the image of a forensic expert. Creating a more credible plot with more details concerning the forensic analysis and at the same time keeping the movie entertaining might be quite a challenge, yet it would contribute to the shaping of the right image of a forensic anthropologist. Among the key elements that would make the movie ore credible, one should mark a more detailed analysis, more precise use of the specific terms and the right consequence of the analysis procedures. With that in mind, Hanson will be able to create a more credible image of a forensic expert.

Reference List

Byers, S. N. (2011). Introduction to forensic anthropology (4^th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Web.

Hanson, H. (Producer). (2005). The memories in the Shallow Grave. Bones. United States: Fox. Web.