The Alphabet Killer (2008)

Calificación de los usuarios:

5.5/10   

Director:

Rob Schmidt

Guionista:

Tom Malloy (writer)

Género:

Drama | Suspenso

Plot:

Based on the true story of the double initial killings in Rochester, NY. |

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Predictable, not Schmidt's Best Work

Reparto

Eliza Dushku	...	Lt. Megan Paige
Cary Elwes	...	Capt. Kenneth Shine
Timothy Hutton	...	Richard Ledge
Tom Malloy	...	Det. Stephen Harper
Michael Ironside	...	Capt. Nathan Norcross
Bill Moseley	...	Carl Tanner
Carl Lumbly	...	Dr. Ellis Parks
Brian Scannell	...	Jay Castillo
Larry Hankin	...	Perry
Jack McGee	...	Hank
Melissa Leo	...	Kathy Walsh
Andrew Fiscella	...	Len Schafer
Tom Noonan	...	Capt. Ray Gullikson
Rocco Sisto	...	Father McQuarrie
Frank Rossi	...	Francis Baker

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violence.

Duración:

100 min

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Color

Clasificación:

USA:R

Locaciones de Filmación:

Ridgewood, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Compañía:

Intrinsic Value Films

Trivialidades:

Based on the true story of the double initial killings in Rochester, NY.

Citas:

[first lines]
Megan Paige: Mostly the job is to ask questions. The frustrating part, the part that drives you crazy, is that the people you really want to talk to are dead.

Conexiones de Película:

References The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Predictable, not Schmidt's Best Work

Detective Megan Paige (Eliza Dushku) is tracking down a serial killer who finds girls with twin initials and dumps them in a city with the same beginning letter (such as Kelly Kapowski in Kingston). But when she gets too attached to the case, she suffers a mental breakdown. When the killings continue, can she overcome her problems to stop him from striking again?

I thought the film would be a pretty decent one... the concept was interesting, even if the movie strays quite a bit from the real events this was based on. And the cast is impressive. Dushku is pretty amazing, Cary Elwes is one of my all-time favorite actors, Timothy Hutton is here, Michael Ironside, and genre fave Bill Moseley. So you can't beat this ensemble cast.

But sadly, it just didn't add up for me. It was predictable (even the "twist" seemed obvious from early on) and not as engaging as one might think. It wasn't even as good as another recent murder / detective story I reviewed, "Anamorph" (which was itself not all that amazing). I've been a fan of Rob Schmidt's work, especially "Right to Die" and thought he'd be a good person to bring a dark angle to this story. Sadly, not so much... clichés such as a child-obsessed priest appear, and some (presumably imaginary) ghosts that don't really add to the film.

I wouldn't say not to watch this one, but it wasn't gripping. There isn't one thing I can pinpoint as making this film stand out -- not the music, the lighting, the effects... it was all pretty standard. It almost would have been more fitting for a Lifetime movie. As far as serial killers go, this one comes off as remarkably tame. If you want your psyche thrilled, look somewhere else.