To Catch a Killer, directed by Argentinean filmmaker Damian Szifron (who also helmed the outstanding Wild Tales (2014)), works strictly as a police procedural but falls flat in its characterization and screenplay, particularly in its final act.
The film opens with a terrific scene in which a deadly sniper starts shooting New Year’s Eve revelers at a high-rise building, killing 29 people. When the police zero in on the killer’s hiding spot, it explodes and burns to the ground. Eleanor (Shailene Woodley) is the first cop on the scene, followed by FBI officials, headed by investigator Lammark (Ben Mendelsohn), who recognize that the shooting is the work of a skilled assassin and will be challenging to apprehend. But once Eleanor impresses Lammark with a clue and some creative thinking, he decides to add her to his team. He also believes that her problematic past might enable her to think like the killer and aid in his capture. As the investigation begins, Lammark and his department encounter numerous political and bureaucratic roadblocks they must overcome to catch the serial killer.
Some of the film’s police procedural elements, such as some clues that eventually lead the police to the serial killer, are deftly employed to track down the culprit. Examples of a couple of such clues include Eleanor’s suggestion to analyze the feces in the blown-up apartment, which reveals that the killer is iron deficient and avoids eating meat and dairy, or the ballistics showing that the gun used for shooting is an old gun with no records in the database and can be found only in specific places. Additionally, there is a well-executed mall sequence in which the killer goes on another murder spree, shooting everyone and bombing the mall out of fear of being detected. Unfortunately, the film falters, especially in its final act, owing to a poor climax and rambling screenplay where the makers try to understand the killer’s psyche and motivations. They give him a lengthy monologue in which he explains his actions, but this makes the audience to forcefully empathize with him, which doesn’t bode well for the film.
Another flaw in the film is the poor characterization of the main characters. Eleanor is a talented police officer who has endured a difficult childhood and battled drug addiction. There are scenes in the film that depict her living in a small apartment with her cat, going swimming alone, and fighting the impulse to take drugs, all of which suggest her sense of isolation. However, the root of her state is unclear, making it difficult to buy into her storyline. The underdeveloped characterization is visible in Shailene Woodley’s inconsistent performance, which lacks intensity and imagination because she doesn’t have much to work with. On the other hand, Lammark is a no-nonsense detective, who is honest and takes his job seriously, something we have seen countless times. And aside from being a gay man, there isn’t anything new to his character, but Mendelsohn attempts to make the best of what he is given and emerges as the film’s top performer. To Catch a Killer borrows heavily from The Silence of the Lambs, but in contrast to that film, the mentor-protégé dynamic between Eleanor and Limmark comes across as phony, forced, and unconvincing.
The film also fails to provide a nuanced analysis of various issues that it tries to address, from the ineffectiveness of the American justice system to the stigma associated with mental health care, instead only touching on these topics superficially. As a result, To Catch a Killer succeeds at times when it sticks closely to the police procedural formula but miserably fails when it tries to branch out.
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