BEFORE: This time Sigourney Weaver carries over from "Eyewitness" - it's another case where two films on a similar subject aired the same week on cable, and since they shared an actor, I couldn't resist putting them together on a DVD.
THE PLOT: An agoraphobic psychologist and a female detective must work together to take down a serial killer who copies serial killers from the past.
AFTER: Another problem tonight with sub-plots that don't go anywhere. I guess I should expect a few "red herrings" from a murder mystery - but when they're so prominent and then so useless, it still makes me wonder why they're in the film at all. Best example, there's a female reporter shown here, who asks annoying questions from the police, and they all clearly know her and try to avoid her, but then after a while she's never seen again. Why is she so prominent in the beginning of the film, and then non-existent?
I also would have liked to see a little (OK, a lot) more character development on the serial killer. Having him copy other famous killer's methods is a unique idea, but it also leaves him as something of a blank himself. If he copies other people, then what's he all about at the core? What gave him the desire to kill in the first place, and what led him to imitate others? And what, specifically, pointed him at his targets?
The lead character, Helen Hudson, seems pretty accepting of the fact that she's become a "magnet" for serial killers. OK, now that we've identified the problem, can you maybe take steps to prevent this from happening? Like, I don't know, move to Montana, or live anonymously somewhere? Or maybe stop getting involved in cases where you help track down serial killers? Just tossing out some ideas here.
Because of her experience with another serial killer, Dr. Hudson has become agoraphobic, meaning that she hasn't left her house in over a year. I'm not entirely sure that this concept is the most logical path for her character to be on - or perhaps the terminology isn't 100% accurate. But a phobia is an irrational fear, by definition, while her fear seems to be completely justified. What she has is a genuine belief that if she leaves the apartment, she'll be killed - but that's not a fear of open spaces, that's a fear of serial killers, which again, is completely justified if you have proof that they ARE out there, and they ARE targeting you. Perhaps she'd feel better if someone just told her that she's got a right to be afraid.
Instead, she's saddled with a bunch of inept, easily distractable security guards, so that the killer can get into her apartment and the plot can advance. There's plenty of action here, and plenty of moments that may cause you to sleep with the lights on for a few nights. I know I'm probably going to have trouble watching the final season of "American Idol", because after seeing Harry Connick Jr. in this film, it's going to be hard to think of him as a nice guy again. (this doesn't count as a spoiler, because he plays a killer here, not "the" killer.)
For practical purposes, they played a little fast and loose with the details of some famous killers' crimes - obviously the filmmakers didn't want viewers to think about re-enacting the crimes themselves. But I think it's still a glaring NITPICK POINT that when re-creating a killing done by Jeffrey Dahmer, the villain here doesn't dispose of the body in an accurate way. We all know that Dahmer had a tendency to save body parts and later consume them - so I guess being committed to the cause of doing tribute killings only goes so far, huh? Not willing to go full cannibal? That's actually an indication of a somewhat sane person, so is our killer sane or insane? Committed or wishy-washy?
Also starring Holly Hunter (last seen in "A Life Less Ordinary"), Dermot Mulroney (last seen in "My Best Friend's Wedding"), William McNamara, Harry Connick Jr. (last seen in "Hope Floats"), Will Patton (last seen in "Entrapment"), John Rothman (last seen in "Prime"), J.E. Freeman, Shannon O'Hurley.
RATING: 6 out of 10 "squirrel covers"
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