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COPYCAT
A Film By Jon Amiel
Reviewed by Christian MacInnis
While I was still in midst of finding a thriller that did the genre justice, I decided to detour around the usual stalker-wearing-the-white-mask flick for something more of a contemporary nature. Coincidentally, I was also somewhere towards the middle of Caleb Carr's novel "The Alienist", which focuses on the quick uprising of serial killers in New York City in 1896. Having been captivated by the mindset that Carr's killer seemed to have, I was curious to see just how nutty Harry Connick Jr. was capable of being. I decided to take my chances with yet another Sigourney Weaver movie.
The movie opens with a scene which was psychologically shocking and clever enough to keep even the desensitized interested. The film begins to unfold into the life of the housebound psychologist Dr. Helen Hudson (Weaver) who has been unable to leave her house (without experiencing vertigo) for thirteen months due to her agoraphobia, at which time she had an unfortunate run in with serial killer Daryll Lee Cullum (Connick Jr.). >From her private apartment she connects with the outside world only through her computer and her housekeeper Andy (played by John Rothman, whom I haven't seen since BIG), until a copycat killer decides to step into her world and tease her with knowledge of the crimes he is about to commit. As the killer continues to copycat some of the world's most infamous serial killers, Dr. Hudson is forced to work with two detectives (Holly Hunter and Dermot Mulroney) in order to catch him before he catches her.
What COPYCAT lacks in acting ability it picks up in script. The not-so-convincing performance by Will Patton as the third-wheel cop who can never seem to get his man or get the girl, is counter-balanced by the clever plot twists and the emphasis put on the urgency of finding the man. William McNamara plays Peter Foley, a sexually frustrated computer geek who's character potential gets patronized by McNamara's inability to capture certain moments. For the brief moments where Harry Connick Jr. is in the film, he consistently scares and disturbs in more ways than any other pianist out there. As the bumpkin-esque Daryll Lee he convinces you throughout the film that there are way too many sick people floating around our there. I just feel bad that all of the main stars were unable to pull their weight when it came to character development.
Biderman & Madsen's script hits you right until the end credits begin rolling. I congratulate them again in reactivating the talents we saw from Connick Jr. in Little Man Tate. Other than a few not-so-believable performances and some continuity errors that only a communication and film student would notice, COPYCAT delivers some right moves at right times, partially thanks to the strong development in the way of Holly Hunter and Dermot Mulroney.
Witty, suspenseful, fun (if that's your kind of thing), and definitely one of those movies which probably worked much better as a novel, COPYCAT receives
***1/2 (out or *****) simply because it doesn't rip roar you around as you expect it to. But, if you're looking for a way out of what's become a monotonous line of thrillers, give it a try and you probably won't be disappointed at all.
Christian MacInnis
Review ©1998 Christian L. MacInnis
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