Sam Panico
What happens when a serial killer expert has to face off with the real thing? That's what happens when Dr. Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver, Alien) is cornered and attacked by a man she profiled, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick Jr.).For the next 18 months, Dr. Hudson is a recluse, refusing to leave her computer and high rent apartment, only allowing her friend Andy into her world. A new series of murders - right in her neighborhood - threaten to draw her out. Joining up with Inspector Monahan (Holly Hunter) and Rueben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney), she begins to realize that this killer is copying the world's worst serial killers.It also turns out that the killer is following the script she presented on the night that Cullum attacked her. Along the way, Rueben is killed in a police standoff and Monahan has to deal with her feelings of loss.After her friend Andy is killed like Jeffrey Dahmer, they figure out that the killer is Peter Foley. As the police get to his house, they realize that it was a ruse and he's kidnapped Helen, placing her back into the same crime scene she was in 18 months before. Will Monahan be able to save her friend? Will Dr. Hudson be able to deal with her crippled agoraphobia?This is a fine 90's crime drama, with Connick quite good in his role. Weaver has stated that of all her films, she was most proud of Copycat, as she worked hard to understand how an agoraphobic would behave and she's regretted that the movie is not better remembered.
Tweekums
Dr Helen Hudson is an expert in serial killers and lectured on the subject until one day she nearly became a victim herself. Thirteen months later and she is agoraphobic; never leaving her home in San Francisco. Now another serial killer is operating in the city and M.J. Monahan and her partner Reuben Goetz are leading the investigation to catch him. Hudson contacts the police anonymously because she believes the killer is imitating the crimes of the Boston Strangler. Monahan quickly figures out who contacted them and soon Hudson is pulled, somewhat unwillingly, into the investigation. The killer sends a video clip to Hudson which she believes is his next victim; sure enough there is another murder but the MO is completely different. This should indicate a different killer as serial killers don't change their methods but something is different here; the killer has just copied a different killer, or in this case pair of killers. The killings continue, with other killers being copied until ultimately Hudson is targeted in a recreation of the previous attempt on her life.After 'The Silence of the Lambs' serial killer films were the flavour of the moment. This is a solid enough example of the genre; not one of the best but certainly not one of the worst. The story gets off to a good start and having a main killer who copies others was interesting. Unfortunately the sense of mystery is somewhat reduced as we are shown the killer fairly early on; once we've seen his face it is just a question of who he will copy him next and how the cops will ultimately stop him. Apart from Monahan the police are depicted as fairly incompetent; the officer posted outside Hudson's door is easily lured away and another leaves his gun in an unlocked drawer near a suspect with tragic consequences. Solid lead performances from Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter raise the quality of the production from something fairly routine to make it well worth watching if you are a fan of the genre.
avik-basu1889
Aggressively generic. The spirit of 90s loom large over 'Copycat' which makes its presence known through Jon Amiel's directorial choices like dutch angles, song choices , the derivative tone and style of storytelling,etc. The film desperately wants to evoke the dramatic essence of films of the same era like 'The Silence of the Lambs' or maybe even 'Se7en'. Unfortunately neither does 'Copycat' have the immensely entertaining, operatic intensity of 'The Silence of the Lambs', nor does it have the uninhibited brutality, depth, and directorial mastery of 'Se7en'. None of the characters are compelling enough to get attached and the dialogue gets woefully cheesy on multiple occasions. The basic plot itself progresses in a fairly familiar manner and it crescendos into a climax which is predictable and once again ... generic. It's not a bad film, it's just woefully forgettable and dispensable, which at times can be worse.P.S. - It's ironic that a film named 'Copycat' which deals with a psychotic killer who recreates murders by serial killers of the past, has a protagonist namely Inspector M.J. Monahan who is a played by Holly Hunter, who is nothing but an attempt at recreating Clarice Sterling with some behavioral modifications and deviations.
Lechuguilla
An interesting idea here is that we have two professional women dealing with the issue of violence against women. Sigourney Weaver plays Helen Hudson, author and expert on serial killers who becomes agoraphobic after an encounter with a killer. Holly Hunter plays M.J. Monahan, slightly nasal lead detective who smiles a lot and looks just out of high school but who can be as steely and relentless as any male cop.Most of the plot binds Helen and M.J. in their pursuit of an intelligent serial killer who terrorizes San Francisco. It's the chemistry between the two women that make "Copycat" somewhat unique among the list of psychological thrillers. There's plenty of suspense, with gloved hands, shadowy figures, and silence. Long camera takes enhance creepy tension as does odd camera angles.As with most thrillers of this kind, the killer seems to know exactly where to be and when to be there, and that's a genre problem. There are also some story clichés, like dependence on television news and the use of computers to convey information to the audience. I did not like the bathroom segments, and Harry Connick Jr. needs to confine his efforts to his great music. The film's climax descends into unrealistic silliness.Production design is fine. Of note is Helen's elaborate and modern apartment, wherein almost one-third of the film takes place. The score varies appropriately from melancholy to eerie to classical. But I dislike the song "Murder By Numbers", mercifully played just once. Casting is credible; acting is above average. Weaver gives a convincing performance, and Holly Hunter is good in every movie I have seen her.A lot of research went into this film on serial killers. For example, we know that most organized serial killers hide behind a mask of normalcy; and in a couple of early scenes our killer shows up as just another average Joe, undetectable in his apparent sanity.The story here is a bit contrived. But it draws viewers in with lots of tension and suspense. And with the performances of Weaver and Hunter, the film's imperfections seem less severe.
AD
