To Catch a Killer works surprisingly well as a just-above-average thriller, with a stylish and shocking opening premise, and a scary but novel antagonist. At its best, it pays homage to the archetypal ‘bureau thriller’ Silence of the Lambs by mirroring some of its best elements. At its worst however, it offers a thin commentary of mental health problems and the media’s treatment of deranged individuals in the USA as being clumsy, hostile and ineffective all at once.
The film’s main strength lies in its effective but familiar police procedural format, which showcases a small team of devoted FBI agents skillfully navigating their way through the investigation as the death toll ramps up. The setup of this functional team, strongly led by Ben Mendelsohn’s inspector Lammark is intriguing, especially as you don’t know the backstory or loyalties of key characters. As a viewer, I found myself invested in their journey and eager to see how they would piece the puzzle together, despite some questionable plot devices and decisions in the operation. But I think what I liked most about To Catch A Killer is its gimmick value of having a much-loved British comedy actor and occasional star of A24 films as the villain. I know it’s faint praise but knowing who it was and seeing how his actions unfold, rather than the often generic plot, really made the film personally compelling.
In criticism however, the film falls short in exploring the thematic elements it initially introduces. It flirts with an examination of PTSD and the importance of treatment for its sufferers, but these ideas are ultimately abandoned, and instead, the film relies on the drama of an intense manhunt. Furthermore, Shailene Woodley’s character lacks a fully fleshed-out backstory or meaningful evaluation. Clarice Starling she ain’t, although her performance, particularly in the climax, is decent. It feels like a missed opportunity to provide depth and complexity to an important character and then leaving her narrative arc unexplored, especially as a sequel looks very unlikely.
To Catch A Killer isn’t as generic as its title suggests, and the director seems to have a good record despite this being his first English film and the first of his I have seen. There are dozens of better thrillers out there but this one has some interesting features, and it’s also good to see Ben Mendelsohn use his ability to elevate a film beyond its starting point. Definitely worth checking out.