To Catch a Killer movie review: The Shailene Woodley starrer is too busy taking itself seriously
To Catch a Killer movie review: Damián Szifron first came to notice for his pretty original Wild Tales. There is nothing wild about his second film.
Shailene Woodley in the film To Catch a Killer.
Argentinian filmmaker Damián Szifron first came to notice for his pretty original, pretty wacky Wild Tales. There is nothing wild about his second feature, which could have been a good departure, but isn’t.
This is a film that approaches even its title timidly, with ‘To Catch A Killer’ giving no indication that the mass murderer in question will kill 29 people with one clean shot each, on New Year’s Eve, choosing the moment when the fireworks are going off at exactly midnight.
There is no connection between his targets, just that all were within the range of his sniper rifle, as he took aim from a 17th-floor flat.
We have had mass killers before, and investigative procedurals. But few start from a shootout as bizarre and genuinely scary as this – that one can end up dead at home from a bullet that comes through the window.
To Catch A Killer also has competent actors in Woodley as junior cop Eleanor and Mendelsohn as Lammark, one of those legendary FBI guys who growls around unfriendly-like, cursing the “Establishment”, and trodding on one too many feet.
Lammark spots potential in Eleanor from, it seems, just one comment of hers, to the effect of: “Evil is taking apart a bird’s wings; this guy is squatting mosquitoes.”
It is, of course, a plot device to throw two misanthropes together, in hunt for a third. There are some scenes of real tension here, the mall massacre one such. But the film is too busy taking itself seriously. At the drop of a hat, characters venture into deep discussions about the bad, bad American way – from destroying other worlds to corrosive materialism, gun culture, celebrity chase, corrupt politicians… None of it makes the hunt any shorter.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/to-catch-a-killer-shailene-woodley-02-022025-a87b10d40b914341a655df57689c1bbf.jpg)
The breakthrough is a typical Eureka! moment — even occurring in a bath tub — though more thought and less denunciation would have got Eleanor and Lammark there quicker.
We are not done even as yet, for before it all wraps up, there are yet more speeches to be told, commiserations to be shared and, sure enough, heroes to be toppled, new ones to be born.
