Suburban Fury (DVD Review)
Director
Robinson DevorRelease Date(s)
2024 (June 9, 2026)Studio(s)
2R Productions/The Godmother/Vertigo Entertainment (Kino Lorber)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: F
Review
In 1975 President Gerald Ford suffered two assassination attacks, seventeen days apart—both from women and both in California. Unassuming suburban housewife Sara Jane Moore was the second attacker in San Francisco and obviously unsuccessful. At trial, she fought tooth and nail against an insane plea, claiming to know exactly what she did how she had no regrets and she plead guilty; sentenced to life in prison. In 2007, at the age of 77, she was paroled for good behavior and her newly stated remorse—a year after Ford’s death. She changed her name, moved to North Carolina and remarried, living a (somewhat) quiet life. But nothing involving Moore is as clear cut as that—to paraphrase Winston Churchill: she was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; and there was no key.
One of Moore’s terms for participating in this documentary was that she could be the only person interviewed for it—in a way it’s both its salvation and its downfall. Moore is the very definition of an unreliable narrator, and she is a very hostile witness to her life. Anyone looking for real insight, new reveals about her life or even a previously unrevealed nugget of info, need not look here. Out of necessity, the film ends up as a vivid snapshot of the very tumultuous America during mid-70s—a time that brought us the Weather Underground, radical political upheaval and Patty Hearst and the SLA. Moore’s place in this time was surprisingly central as she was an FBI informant, embedded with various parties tied to political groups in Northern California while working as a volunteer accountant for Randolph Hearst’s People In Need food distribution program (part of the ransom he paid to get his daughter Patty back). Directed by Robinson Devor (the even more fascinating 2007 documentary Zoo), Suburban Fury is a non-linear film structured around a series of interviews with Moore in situated in various places—in the backseat of a station wagon where she met with her FBI handler parked in various locations around San Fran, inside the hotel ballroom she was first interrogated by the secret service after her assassination attempt and a glass encased sunroom—all the time illustrated by various clips of archival footage. Taken at face value, the film itself is fascinating—just to see and hear Moore present her life and continually spar with Devor (who can be heard gently coaxing her to telling her truth) makes for an interesting film. But for people looking for some level of truth about this woman and her place in American history, you’ll want to chase down the 2008 book Taking Aim at the President: The Remarkable Story of the Woman Who Shot at Gerald Ford by Geri Spieler which was culled from decades of interviews. Even in that, Moore was combative and eventually stopped participating because she didn’t approve of Spieler not clearing her research with her—but many questions that come up in this get answered there. Suburban Fury is worth the watch, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll end up with some homework to better understand this woman.
Released exclusively on DVD by Kino, it looks very good in its 1.85:1 presentation. Sound is offered in 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo—both serve the film well. English subs are on board if that’s your preference. No extras.
- Todd Doogan