Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez

As with the best true crime documentaries, books, and podcasts, one doesn’t have to know much about the subject at hand to be enthralled by Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez.

Viewers who are aware of the former New England Patriots tight end and generally fond of football will get an extra boost following his rise and stunning fall, but director Geno McDermott spins such a darkly compelling yarn that anyone willing to explore this fascinating case will reap the dramatic rewards.

Paired with copious archival footage, time-hops allow for interviews with friends, enemies, and informative colleagues to tell Hernandez’s story in a more informative and suspenseful way than a chronological approach. Further enlightening are recordings of phone calls that Hernandez made to family and friends while in prison, depicting a man seemingly unconcerned about his future and confident that he would soon be free.

In addition to the mounds of circumstantial evidence presented in court, the baffling number of factors working against the star athlete — stemming from his childhood to his sexuality to concussions — combine to form an engrossing portrait of a human with so much inner turmoil that he was destined to explode.

With so many of Hernandez’s motivations unclear, certain ones — especially concerning the death of his friend and fellow football player Odin Lloyd — exist as mere rumors and guesses. But despite the frustrations of these unknowns, their enduring mystery generally enriches the documentary’s overall pull and leaves novices and audiences familiar with this chapter of recent history more frazzled and disturbed than ever.

Grade: A-minus. Rated TV-MA. Now available on Netflix

(Photo: Netflix)