Copycat (1995)

Taking its lead from Jonathan Demme's Oscar-winning pulse-raiser The Silence of the Lambs, Copycat strives for intelligence over gristle and carnage. It's a terse, involving thriller that swings away from the usual cinematic notion of violence as a means to an end by forgoing brawn for brains. Young San Francisco police inspector Ruben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) is teamed with brilliant force vet, M.J. Monahan (Holly Hunter), a diplomatic, no-nonsense cop who must buck the system in order to find a killer who is copycatting the crimes of history's most notorious serial killers. Ruben would rather shoot to kill than merely wound a suspect; Monahan labors to help him think more diplomatically. Everything changes when crank calls arrive at the station from serial-killer pin-up girl psychiatrist Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver). She's been housebound for 13 months, ever since murderer Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick Jr.) nearly made her his next victim because she testified against him in court. Though he's in prison, he's still mentor and muse to every loose cannon walking the streets--one of whom is killing people with a vengeance and hoping to finish the job Cullum began. Cop and doc team up to solve the case in this stylish, plot-driven movie. Though Copycat loses steam in the end, it still makes a point. And it serves as a cautionary tale for people everywhere, tossing in street smart warnings against victimization. The teaming of Hunter and Weaver works well, the short and the tall forging a terrific and frictioned relationship that leads to grudging respect. Establishing an ominous atmosphere reminiscent of his classic British TV miniseries The Singing Detective, director Jon Amiel has an eye for the dark and the unusual and it gives this film an edge that eludes most other mainstream filmmakers. --Paula Nechak Amazon.com essential video

Creepy good.

Copycat starring Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter is the best cat and mouse game of all-time. Released in 1995, I still find this film intriguing and nail-biting. The two stars are dynamite together, look out for a creepy Harry Connick Jr. who plays a copycat serial killer. Dermot Mulroney also stars, this guy is so under-used! I love, love, love this thriller, gotta see this one, enjoy! June 26, 2008

Flat

This movie is one of my favorites, but what I realy like is the apartment. I wish I could have a place like that. February 23, 2008

Tightened up it could have been perfect

After The Silence of the Lambs and exactly in the same year as Seven, Copycat had some strong competition on the market of serial killer films. Hence this one has to look for originality because the rhythm has to be the same and it is. First the common points. The main cop is a woman (The Silence of the Lambs). She gets the help of a convicted murderer who is in prison (The Silence of the Lambs). There is some enigma that determines the series of murders in order, in nature and in all particular details (Seven). When the "model" is found, then you can run ahead of the murderer (Seven). Here the model is a lecture delivered by one of the protagonists, Dr Helen Hudson, on serial killers. The rhythm and the peripeties are good and well devised. Then the original elements are essential to compete with the others. It is just as gross as the others though some images are slightly curbed, hence for maybe a slightly younger audience. The profiling is very interesting though slightly rudimentary. We can assume the killer had a domineering mother, but it is not that clear. This mother is reproduced in his wife he neglects completely and he tames into finally killing her by killing other women as exemplified and listed in the lecture of the Doctor in criminology, Helen Hudson. Then he follows two lines: his liberation from his mother and wife which will take several substitute murders to bring to the end; and the series or list of serial killers Helen Hudson has provided him along with her audience with. At the same time this film is very clear about the police inside story and how right decisions (not to kill a menacing criminal for example) may lead to the death of a cop. It shows how easily fooled some simple cops can be. They are not great brains and they neglect their assigned duty for reasons that are beyond understanding. But the film also has weak points, particularly one. At the beginning and at the end Helen Hudson is confronted to a murderer in exactly the same situation. We are never explained how she managed to escape the first time, and she did since the criminal in that case is her "informer" in prison. And the situation the second time is difficult to accept and the murderer makes a sloppy mistake by not realising the cop he shot twice in her chest did not bleed and hence is not dead, at worst stunned because in such a situation a cop is necessarily wearing her bullet proof jacket. It is those details that cost the film the excellence the two others I quoted before have. It is well done, entertaining, thrilling, but a few details are slightly loose.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
January 22, 2008

Murderers Reflection

First off please don't try to compare this to other murder mysteries. It isn't any of them and vice versa. You might as well compare it to "Fade to Black", which by the way has nothing in common. Imagine yourself one of the top profilers working for the police department or the FBI. Now you have a string of murders but the Modus of Operation (MO) by the perpetrator (perp) changes with each murder. Some brilliant acting by Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, and the underrated Harry Connick Jr. make this movie one of the best thrillers around. It turns out that not only is the MO different, but the murderer is imitating others.

Others in the sense of Jeffrey Dahlmer, David Berkewitz, Ted Bundy, and other serial killers. It is bad enough to have someone on the loose like that, but when they follow your interest in them and take an interest in you, it is best not to be in any dark rooms. Weaver is a psychological doctor aiding the detective played by Hunter. Connick Jr. is great as a psychotic killer in prison that appears to be assisting a murderer on the streets. The creepy factor is high along with the good scares here and there. I highly recommend purchasing this DVD if you enjoy lesser known thrillers like "Deceived", "Black Widow", and "Vanished". I ordered this DVD because it is very good and it has excellent replayability. September 17, 2007

great suspense

Just Like an Alfred Hitchcock movie! The suspense never ends! One movie you should have in your collection! Not to mention this movie has some great actors in it! April 11, 2007

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