'To Catch a Killer' (2023) Movie Review: For Fans of Police Investigations

To Catch a Killer takes us into a police investigation with a lot of rhythm and intrigue… at the beginning. Then the plot goes to the easy resolution.

It wrecks its initial promise.

Movie Review

A good leading duo, well set in a scary Baltimore, with some dizzying first scenes that promise something in the purest David Fincher style… but no, neither the bad guy has the strength of Kevin Spacey nor does the development contain so many elements and the force is quickly lost, despite some sequences with the merit of striving to maintain a tension that, according to the script, wants to be consistent with what a realistic criminal investigation would be.

But it isn’t either, and the fiction is too present to go unnoticed, the characters don’t end up fascinating within their fictional scope, nor do they end up being as real as they supposedly pretend to be.

To Catch a Killer doesn’t captivate us in the end, it doesn’t finish settling in its (tremendous) initial strength and its development seems full of common landscapes that, contrary to its intentions, end up distancing us from the supposed veracity of the initial plot.

It is a good film in its technical aspects, with a good performance by Ben Mendelsohn, who gives all the intensity that the character deserves. The dramatic tone relies on Shailene Woodley, who manages to give her touch, but without impacting with an interpretation, on the other hand, not called to impact.

It has some good sequences, especially on the editing job, but also a lot of imbalances as a whole, which doesn’t manage to convince in the end.

In any case, it is a gamble, failed or not, and will entertain lovers of police intrigue, but without leaving a deep impression on them.

A film that could have given more of itself and that leaves many of its (very successful) initial proposals without crystallizing.