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Shailene Woodley has never stood out, (to me), in any particularly noteworthy way as an actor. Actually, that sounds a lot harsher than intended. In more courteous terminology, she has always executed her roles well, but never enough in my estimation, to count as an actor who I would deliberately look forward to seeing in films - until now.

In "To Catch A Killer" she delivers such a strong and believable performance as a precarious beat officer, that she practically steals the spotlight. Here, I have to draw your attention to the word "practically", because in this film, Woodley is paired with Ben Mendelsohn who also delivers such a successfully rich, compelling and powerful depiction of an aging and enervated senior FBI detective, that it is difficult to tell who outdoes the other with and within the efficacy of their roles. To me, they kind of throw the torch (or baton) of excellence to one another, scene by scene.

As if the near-perfect delivery and chemistry of the leads was not enough, despite some of the token villainous characters and scenarios being a bit over-the-top, the acting by most everyone else was also above-average. This is especially true of Ralph Ineson, who was simply, low-key great.

My biggest and mostly only complaint upon first-viewing, was that a little over 3/4's of the way through, the film kind of changes direction a bit, which made the ending feel uneven and somewhat unfulfilling. In RETROSPECT, however, I think that the way it took somewhat of a shift might be the best thing they could have done with it. Had they gone in any other direction, it would be much too easy to chalk this up as a film which ended in a predictable or 'done before' manner.

As it is, To Catch a Killer ended the way it began: as a solid, stand-alone feature that was immersive, tense and thought-provoking through and through.

7.8/10.

A marksman strikes on New Year's Eve, killing almost thirty people, on the case is FBI Agent Landmark, who gives a chance to intelligent, but troubled Police Officer Eleanor.

This is a Thriller with a bit of depth, and one that will definitely hold your interest, it doesn't exactly cover any new ground, or give us anything that hasn't been done before, but when I compare this to the batch of recent thrillers that I've seen recently, this one offers a bit more.

The final showdown was a particularly good scene, a good old fashioned scene of the good guy taking on the bad one, the age old hunt for a moral code.

Maybe the scenes inside the abattoir were a little unexpected and graphic, they'll be too much for some viewers.

I've seen Shailene Woodley in a few things, and for me this is the best of her, I thought she was excellent as. I thought Ralph Ineson was terrific.

It's not groundbreaking, but it's a decent watch.

7/10.

First of all, rotten tomatoes has reviewers comparing this to Silence of the Lambs. That's ho I heard about this one and got curious. This movie is a throwback to more of the mystery, thrillers we had in the 90s, but it's not Silence of the Lambs. The killer here is vicious and has a high body count. The pacing was pretty decent and I must say even more exciting than a lot of thrillers out today.

First, that opening sequence will grab your attention and the movie is bright enough to see that action on screen. Every performance works here and is played as a straight forward, solid thriller. I read where folks were split in how it ended. In my opinion, I thought the whole movie is solid and the ending was perfect. This is that rare thriller that I'd actually pay to see again.

Just by watching the trailer, I was annoyed with Mendelsohn's character Lammark, and I questioned casting Woodley as a beat cop - I mean there are so many other more convincing female actors out there. But oddly enough, both actors and their characters grew on me as the film progressed.

I'm also not a fan of slow paced films, and this one mostly is, but oddly enough, Argentinian co-writer and director Damián Szifron (in his first English film debut) made it all work with engaging scenes and circumstances. His directing was spot-on, and although there was ambiguity to many scenes and dialogue, the film came together like an old school psycho-thriller/police procedural. It felt like a non-Hollywood-stylized movie version of a better Criminal Minds episode.

The story was nothing revolutionary, but delivered enough suspense at the right moments, built intriguing character interest, and had some riveting action just at the right times to keep me fully engaged throughout the entire almost two hour runtime. So considering the current slim pickings out there for down and out enjoyable thriller/cop films, this one is a winner, and a definite recommend from me.

The movie itself is great. It could have been a masterpiece because it has all the ingredients. Amazing cast, interesting non generic script and great scenarios. On the other hand, the ending felt a bit rushed. But let's start with the great.

First, the cast does an amazing job here. Intense, real and deep characters.

Second, the script is quite interesting (not original) but it has a few surprises that in my case I didn't see to come.

Last, the settings are great. Love the cold vibes. Fargo's style.

So, overall if you love good independent cinema this one is for you. Could have been a true masterpiece with a more elaborated ending. But nothing is perfect. Enjoy.

Misanthrope (To Catch a Killer) delivers a chilling and brutal chase after a shooter that manages to evade technology surveillance and large scale police forces. Our protagonist is a climb-from-the-bottom police officer with good motivation and talent. The chase after the killer will go through hard scenes, politics and personal confrontations going all the way to a conclusion which is in some ways predictable and in some ways not.

Overall, Misanthrope is a believable thriller that will keep you thinking and guessing all the way through. The characters are great and we are given just enough background on each to have us care without boring us with irrelevant details. Although there is plenty of action, the movie is not "a bullet a second" and there is plenty of drama and dialogues in between, which is a breath of fresh air compared to all the beautiful-CGI no-story films we see out of Hollywood.

I liked "Misanthrope". It is well made, well acted and well written. It will not win any Oscars, but I still recommend it to anybody who is into crime drama and police action movies. Exact score: 72 / 100.

Good direction, good original story, good camerawork and a very good supportive score for the leads. Shailene Woodley is excellent in her role as a troubled law enforcement officer but boy, how fantastic Ben Mendelsohn is. I truly believe he is one of the best character actor of his generation, taking the lead here superbly without any fuss. They are both a joy to watch and their chemistry as investigator partners is profound. This movie may not shock you with its twists and turns like 'Seven', but it is definitely gives you a deep ride until the very end. Its character building is excellent. Just be patient and follow the flow.

I haven't been rating movies, but I feel it is necessary for me to review this one. This is not a thrill-a-second kind of movie. It progresses intelligently and thoughtfully. It is a thinking movie. The acting and script are excellent. The two leads were perfect for this movie. They seemed to feed off of one another, trying to outdo each other as the best actor in the movie. So many movies fall flat at the end. But this one excelled. It actually has a good ending. I recommend this movie to anyone who is intelligent, and likes to think. Yes, it got a bit slow with some scenes that maybe could have been written a little better. That's why I'm only giving it an eight. But I don't know how anyone could walk away from this movie disappointed!

I'm a huge fan of thrillers. Silence of the Lambs, and Se7ven are among my favorite movies of all time so I had high hopes after having watched the trailer.

So why the low rating. Cinematography is great (lighting, color grading, audio, etc.), Shailene Woodley as the lead does a good job but overall the story is just too thin and the majority of the cast is not delivering.

Would have loved to see a deeper story where you really felt attached to the detectives - just like Mills/Sommerset or Starling in the aforementioned movies. And also the killer here is underwhelming - not played well and his raison d'etre is just not good enough.

So hoping for this genre to grow but unfortunately this movie does not deliver and will not be one to remember.

So it's like most crime dramas, you know, there's a killer, false lead, false lead, then true lead, true lead until they catch him.

The first part was like that, like most crime movies. But I liked the second part, I'm not going to spoil anything, but the characters and their motivations felt real, felt like it could happen to anyone in this day and age. It left me thinking about a lot of stuff, it left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, a bit sad about what happened and overall the killer's story, which is more sad than violent.

Overall I really enjoyed it, it's a slow burner but it pays off. I recommend it.

It was originally titled 'Misanthrope' a much better title. This film starts out with a bang right out of the gate and I was immediately hooked, wondering what the motivations of the killer are. It draws a lot of parallels to real life events which aren't often depicted in films. I guess it's become so commonplace that putting it in a movie isn't that much of a stretch anymore. The movie starts out great but quickly devolves into a series of obvious red herrings. I thought surely the actual killer would have a more interesting motivation, something out of left field. But no, it's stuff we've all seen before in movies and in real life, and in his monologue at the end he sounds tired and bored of himself.

I'm impressed honestly. This was a rare 2 hour film that gets you hooked from the first scene until the last. The acting is very good, especially Shailene Woodley. Her character is very complex and she absolutely nailed it. Ben is also good as he always is.

The plot is very engaging, juxtaposing police, FBI, mass killings and they thread in themes of addiction and trauma as the story moves along.

Also enjoyable is all the cinematography and direction. They leverage a lot of long shots, aerials, outdoor locations and interiors with a nice balance that also helps the viewer absorb the story and acting.

This is one of my favorite films in the last few years and I can't wait to rewatch it! 8/10.

To my surprise 'To Catch a Killer' was actually O. K.. Baltimore cop Shailene Woodley joins up with FBI Agent Ben Mendelsohn to track down a serial killer who's been terrifying the city. The FBI guy brings a lot of personal baggage to the process. The Baltimore cop; she's got a load of personal frailties as well. And one would think that it is that - their both being relative outsiders when it comes to big city policing - that draws each to the other.

The film's got it's good points. A shopping mall scene stands out as a good depiction of terror in a public setting. A scene in a rural location packs a lot of suspense and serves to give the cinematographer the opportunity to show off his / her skills. I appreciated that the Mendelsohn character plays against type; his personal story might be sending his professional actions and reactions 'off the rail' / 'over the top'. I liked him, but he sure got on my nerves.

On the downside: We've all seen this before; the politicians who want the murderer found overnight and put pressure on the police force that all-too-easily gives in. The opening scenes of mass-murder defy credibility and, worse still, are confusing. As for Shailene Woodley, there was much about her performance to like. Assuming, of course, that you liked, or understood, her character; a grim and heavy-hearted woman. If the FBI guy got on my nerves, Ms. Woodley's cop character made me want to take a wake-up-pill. Or offer one to her.

In short, an O. K. way to spend an evening.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It depicted events vividly, and it had good attention to details, like radio listeners calling in to say dumb stuff to get fame in the wake of an event, corrupt morals, and how you can struggle with mental illness and be on the total opposite polar if each other because of it. I loved the ending also for this very reason.

The actors in this move did a good job also, and the music made it a very exciting watch. It threw me a bit back to the 90s detective moves at times, and that was a refreshing change.. The movie also had a very strong sense of foreboding atmosphere throughout.

Finally, a movie where Mendelsohn is not only a good guy but has a leading role! And he was great. The first 40min of this movie were so effective I was on the edge of my seat and borderline comparing to the likes of Zodiac and even Se7en. Then, the rest of the movie happened. The melodrama with Woodley was cringe, especially when she tries to use it toward the end, and the whole third act was dragged out like a salted snail, just to push the runtime to 2hrs. Would've been more tolerable at 90-100min max. The truckloads of suspense and tension garnered in the first 40min quickly fizzle and only get worse with the revelation of the killer. And hey, I really like the actor; nothing wrong with his performance, but the writing was dumb. This isn't Se7en; he didn't kill a small handful of people who had arguably unethical character. He's a mass murderer, indiscriminate, and his reasons are teenaged at best. Put him out to pasture; Woodley's character genuinely relating to him was a stupid and far fetched attempt at humanization that really soured and belittled everything that preceded. A shame, so much potential and a sort of 90s suspense nostalgia squandered in the third act. 40min in and I was already certain this would be an 8. With 30min to go it was a 7. But good grief.

This is basically a (bad) tv cop show stretched out to almost two hours.

The script is basically non-existent with characters yelling substituting as character development and storyline. Although writers try to bake in some elements to make the viewer care a smidge about these characters it rings hollow and the viewer is left not caring if any of these people die. Plus the mental health message rings completely hollow because it feels tacked on and inauthentic.

The acting is wooden at times (Woodley) and obnoxious and verging on the goofy at other times (Mendelssohn) and all the others seem to be amateurs.

Plus I dislike how the film was shot and how it looks. Overly glossy and straight to dvd-like.

Also, at no moment did this look like Baltimore.

I struggled to finish this dreck of a film.

This is an absolute gem of a flick that was clearly mis marketed. Hits the mark on all fronts, save for a powerhouse, outright brilliant performance-but what is there is more than typical, especially of the genre. Some of the tropes are there, they're just implemented far above par.

What absolutely is standout, though, is the script. Grounded in a much more realistic procedural than I ever expected, coupled with great shots, editing, and sound. Great payoff in the ending, too. Costumes make sense (for once). The FBI are plainly displayed as an institution serving monsters. The reason the main character has an in to the case when, on paper, she isn't qualified, is in keeping with the hard brutality the movie explores. From the way people are murdered to the mental health, overall, but specifically the main character. As well as the polarization and violence frothing over in society, more-so our current moment.

Honestly, criminally underrated, imo.

It's a pretty good thriller, hesitate to call it great. The story wasn't groundbreaking but it was interesting and paced very well, so I wasn't bored at any point. Acting is great and dialogue is okay. I never watched this because I didn't have high expectations for it, I had recently watched Robots with Shailene Woodley around the time this came out so I thought they'd be of similar caliber. So this was a good surprise. It has glimpses of what could've been a great movie. Woodley was great, Ben Mendelsohn too, but I was most impressed by how naturally Ralph Ineson fit into his role. The ending was a bit of a twist. I don't think this is a masterpiece, but I was pleasantly surprised and impressed at how engaged I was due to my low expectations for it.

I avoided watching this film until I was stuck on a plane with few options.

Should have passed on it.

I've never been a fan of Shailene Woodley dating back to her failed Divergent films when Hollywood offered her up as a pale imitation of Jennifer Lawrence. She does not have the chops for the intense scenes (particularly at the end) when her character is actually supposed to emote. Sadly out of her depth.

Having said that, she isn't helped by the script's terrible character development. We never discover what her childhood trauma was, never get ANY background on her black teammate Mac, and what feels like lame window dressing that her new super cop boss has no character background other than his sexual orientation and his weak heart.

Add to all of that the fact that this new boss hand picks her (off her job as a beat cop who has PTSD), and then keeps her there even when he discovers that she blew her FBI application because she failed the psych evaluation. Truthfully?

So when these characters are in peril, it's impossible to feel any connection.

The horrific scenes of mass murder seemed to imply that there would be a deeper dive into mass violence and the psychological motivations of said perpetrators, but no. Just gratuitous.

The typical and predictable office politics and government political maneuvering was so heavy handed I literally rolled my eyes. Then the asinine TV news bungling of the chase for the killer was so ridiculous that I disconnected from the rest of the film. Any news station that screwed with an active investigation would get destroyed by the public.

And then, the ending...what lame heroine/martyrdom BS. Woodley's character who has been looking for a backbone through the entire movie, suddenly develops enough nerve to blackmail all the politicos who ruined the investigation and essentially got her boss fired and killed. Although his stupendously poorly written thinking in proceeding without authorization or backup was totally on him.

There are two movies this so desperately wanted to be: The Bone Collector starring Angelina Jolie, and The Silence Of The Lambs with Jodie Foster.

Go watch those two films and weigh them against this one.

It's no contest. At all.