Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Baltimore. New Year's Eve. A talented but troubled police officer is recruited by the FBI's chief investigator to help profile and track down a mass murderer.
To Catch a Killer is a competent but familiar procedural thriller. The plot follows a well-worn FBI profiling structure with few surprises, though the dynamic between the troubled officer and seasoned investigator provides some tension. Acting from Shailene Woodley and Ben Mendelsohn is solid but unspectacular given the material. Cinematography is serviceable with a cold, muted palette appropriate to the genre but not especially distinctive. Novelty is low — the premise treads heavily covered ground in the serial/mass killer procedural space. The ending disappoints, feeling abrupt and unresolved in ways that frustrate rather than intrigue.