It’s a lively night in Baltimore, people are out celebrating the new year, but those celebrations are soon interrupted when random people begin getting sniped. Police are on the scene fast, but the shootings have stopped, many victims have been claimed, and while the room where the sniping has occurred has been tracked down, the room exploded, taking out any potential evidence. The chief FBI investigator Geoffrey Lammark (Ben Mendelsohn) has been assigned to the case, and is already feeling the pressure, but he sees potential in the assistance of Eleanor (Shailene Woodley) a cop who responded to the call, and one who has a troubled past that might get her in tune to how the killer might think.
To Catch A Killer is quite the generic title, but it’s also a very honest one. The film is a very straightforward investigative procedural where we follow Eleanor, Geoggrey, and FBI agent Mackenzie (Jovan Adepo) as they are dealt with false leads, lack of evidence, intense pressure from the public who is quick to spread misinformation or false narratives, as well as the local politicians who want the outcome to look good for them come reelection time, which means even shortcuts would be fine by them as long as it fits their bottom line.
The film is directed by Damián Szifron, the Argentine filmmaker known mostly for his delightful Wild Tales from 2014, this is his first film since and his English language debut. He shares screenwriting credit with Jonathan Wakeham. There are attempts to add some meat to a fairly common formula, with discussions of mental health, internet sleuths, what motivates a mass shooter, the spread of misinformation, but none of these ideas really take hold in any meaningful way. The way they also attempt to connect Eleanor to this case is based on a flimsy conceit, and it’s one that the film also does not do a good job at following through on.
You see, Eleanor has a history of addiction, she even attempted to apply for the FBI, but got rejected due to her history. The film tries to make this connection that because she’s been through this very dark and desperate stage of her life that she can somehow think the way the killer thinks. It’s flimsy at best, and arguably irresponsible at worst, but it oddly plays so little into the storytelling as it goes along that it’s a total non-issue. Merely a way to get a street cop into rooms that are otherwise reserved for FBI agents and other bureaucrats, and the filmmakers don’t fully take advantage of this dynamic.
All that having been said, what makes the film compelling is the filmmaking itself. While it may not be as vibrant and tonally wacky as Wild Tales, Szifron gives the film a very slick look with the help of cinematographer, Javier Juliá. It’s so much more visually distinct than a lot of these generic crime thrillers tend to be, with really dynamic aerial shots, bursts of violence that are very impactful, and a strong sense of framing and staging of moments that make leave quite the impression.
What also helps To Catch A Killer is that Szifron has a great set of actors at his disposal. Mendelsohn, Woodley, Adepo, and Ralph Ineson all do a great job of bringing a subdued quality that works well with some of the more broader beats of the story, and as a result, adding layers and history to their characters that in all likelihood were not evident in the actual script. The craftsmanship is really eye-catching, the storytelling brings a sense of urgency that you would want from this, you really feel every setback and frustration felt by the characters as they try to figure out who is responsible, and it all wraps up in a reasonably satisfying way. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s really solid and engaging, and if you enjoy a good procedural, this is one you should have on your radar.
To Catch A Killer is now out in select theaters.