Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
In 1988, Philadelphia police officer Thomas "Locke" Lockhart, hungry to become a detective, begins tracking a serial killer whose crimes defy scientific explanation. When the killer mysteriously resurfaces nine years later, Locke's obsession with finding the truth threatens to destroy his career, his family, and possibly his sanity.
In the Shadow of the Moon is a competent sci-fi thriller that blends a time-travel mystery with a serial killer procedural across multiple decades. The plot is engaging enough in its early stages, building an intriguing mystery, but the time-travel mechanics and eventual reveal strain credibility and feel undercooked. Boyd Holbrook and Cleopatra Coleman deliver serviceable performances, though no one is given particularly rich material. Cinematography is workmanlike — the period shifts are handled adequately but not with exceptional visual distinction. The concept of a time-traveling assassin pursued by an obsessed cop across decades has some novelty, though the film doesn't fully capitalize on its premise. The ending, where the mechanics are fully explained, deflates rather than satisfies, leaning on a convoluted and somewhat preachy resolution that undercuts the tension built throughout.