Copycat


3.5/4

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermont Mulroney, Harry Connick, Jr.

Rated R for Violence and Language

When's the last time you saw a thriller that generated a nearly unbearable amount of suspense without resorting to cheap theatrics and special effects?  Granted, there are occasions where a strong visual sense can enhance a movie (any thriller directed by David Fincher, for example), but often times the "visuals" are trying to camouflage a hollow script.  "Copycat" is a rarity in the sense that it has no really out-there camera tricks (well, one, but it has a purpose).  The suspense is based purely on the intelligent script, the characters and the top-notch storytelling by director Jon Amiel.

After a run-in with serial killer Darryl Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr), criminal psychiatrist Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver) is left so agoraphobic that she can't leave her apartment without having a breakdown.  Eighteen months later, she is roped into helping two homicide detectives, MJ Monahan (Holly Hunter) and Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) catch a serial killer whose basing his murders off of other serial killers. What begins as a consulting job may end up costing the doctor her life.

This film is a rousing success.  People have compared it to "The Silence of the Lambs," and while there are some aspects that are similar, they are altogether different movies.  Jonathan Demme's Best Picture winner was something of a horror show.  This is a straightforward thriller.

Much of what makes this movie so great is that it is intelligent.  The psychological insight into the minds of serial killers is both fascinating and disturbing.  But this is no mere window dressing; this information is actually what moves the plot along.  There's nothing like a host of interesting (not to mention compelling) ideas to draw you into the story.

The acting is strong.  Sigourney Weaver makes for a compelling protagonist.  She's smart, but she's an alcoholic, drug addicted agoraphobic.  Weaver skillfully handles the emotional ups and downs of Hudson's moods, and if there's female actress who knows how to act scared, it's Weaver (she's had plenty of practice…after all, it was the character of Ellen Ripley that made her famous).  Holly Hunter is delightful as the spunky MJ.  She's bright, funny and caring…she's like a big sister to her partner, Reuben.  But MJ is also one tough cookie, and Hunter handles it aplomb.  Harry Connick, Jr. makes for a creepy psycho, as does William McNamara (this isn't really a spoiler…the film is too smart to go for a whodunit).

All this would be meaningless if it didn't generate suspense.  The tension is consistently high from the beginning, and it never lets up.  There's a small element of Hitchcock to the proceedings, although director Jon Amiel does not imitate the Master of Suspense.  He has his own vision, and it suits the film perfectly.

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