Copycat (1995)

Best movie ever!

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Jon Amiel's Copycat is one intense piece of work, as tightly wound as razor wire and primed to stir up the adrenal glands. Sigourney Weaver contends with not one, but two extremely vicious serial killers a lá Silence Of The Lambs, with a bit of ass kicking help from spitfire Holly Hunter. Weaver is a clinical psychologist specializing in serial killers, and like most in her cinematic profession, just happens to be a serial killer magnet as well. After narrowly escaping a perverted maniac (Harry Connick Jr.), and assisting in his capture, she retreats to the sanctuary of her San Francisco penthouse apartment in a fit of agoraphobia following the trauma. But there's another killer out there, one who meticulously recreates the crimes of others. Weaver is reluctantly coerced into helping to find him, and who better to help her than her old buddy Connick Jr.? He's an odd choice to play this type of character, but he sells it with a sickly swagger and that off kilter grin, a much more lively performance than that of the actor playing the copycat killer. Holly Hunter provides the kick in the ass that timid Weaver needs to see the job done, but there's danger around every corner, and the film earns it's hard R rating with some truly uncomfortable bits. Along for the ride is veteran actor J.E. Freeman, Will Patton and good old Dermot Mulroney as fellow cops on the case. Not as instantly iconic or memorable as many in the genre, but takes what could have easily been generic trash and gives it life, style and a sense of real, sweaty danger.

This isn't actually a terrible film by any stretch of the imagination; it's just one of those films which loses focus and is never quite sure what it wants to be.Basic outline - Sigourney Weaver plays a serial killer expert, haunted by her past, who is roped in by the police to guide them towards a serial killer operating in the city. The murderer is copying the M.O. of famous serial killers from the sixties, seventies and eighties.The problem is that even though it is ostensibly - as its title suggests - a film about Copycat killers, it feels somewhat lightweight in the amount of 'copycatting' - it feels like a tame half-baked plot line, which is more focused on Sigourney Weaver's character's past horrors. The 'copycat' idea just feels so, so underplayed - the director doesn't really work off it, it's just a vaguely interesting aside by the final reel.However, it must be said, Sigourney Weaver acts her socks off - she really does play an excellent role as an agoraphobic suffering with a chronic (understandable) case of PTSD. Holly Hunter also plays her role with gusto.However, disappointingly, the perpetrator is 2d and meaningless; after the film spent the first 10, 20 minutes explaining that a serial killer can be 'just like you and me' they didn't then justify that at all, they just roped in a cartoon (overacted) nutter.Too much is 'stock' - there is quite a jarring, wasted death which feels put in for the sake of ticking that Hollywood plot box. Police guards are literally the most useless in any film, ever. The scenes of the internet in its infancy are quite endearing, but do date the film terribly.Yeah, overall, it just feels like a missed opportunity. It's hard to believe that this and the majestic 'Se7en' came out within a month of each other; one looks, feels and plays like mid-nineties Hollywood, the other is so much more.

"Copycat" is a complex and exciting thriller from director Jon Amiel, a fast and sophisticated film about finding the truth, and dealing with the consequences along the way. The plot is well written, without over doing the action, and dealing with criminal masterminds on both sides of the law. Involving a serial killer stalking and strangling his victims, two cops and a psychologist who tries to track him down before he claims more lives with his demonic style execution. Ironically the psychologist happens to be on his very list of victims he kills for fun, thrill and power.Sigourney Weaver manages to portray a woman who is both strong and fragile. Harry Connick Jr., though playing a serial killer, is one of my favorite characters. He makes the most of his role and manages to stand out in the movie. With the lack of action, the film can lack at points, but the concept and the unknown identity of the criminal will keep you hooked, not to mention the shadow the serial killer casts over the central character Hudson. The film is dark, brooding and its ending is chilling in that Harry Connick Jr.'s imprisoned psycho is obviously going to continue his quest for revenge on Weaver. Also, the settings are well established, really diving deep into the mind of past serial killers and putting them into current society, which was shocking. The tension is high, the plot well presented and the acting is superlative.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

I've seen this movie many times (even at the cinema), but not in a very long time.Brilliant Movie. Just brilliant. It's even better than I remembered.All the elements are here: Fantastic score by the amazing Christopher Young, great cinematography, great acting by the entire cast (especially Sigourney Weaver and Harry Connick Jr.), great direction.And the writing - it's just fantastic, it's obvious that the writers did a lot of research on serial killers; the plot is thrilling from the first minute to the last; The way they put together the characters, gave them background and then involved them in the plot - not just as a side instruments, but as part of the main plot - and the ending (with Helen participating in the role of herself in the recreation of the murder that changed her lief), it's just great.Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter are two of my favorite actresses. This movie is very underrated. I liked it from the first time I saw it at the cinema - and I recall I felt an actual thrill at the end scene, thinking that was the thrill I wanted to feel in "The Silence of the Lambs". The two movies share a lot in common. While Foster, Hopkins and Ted Levine gave a fantastic performance in "Silence of the Lambs", I always felt a bit disappointed by the movie, especially after it was given such high expectations. But "Copycat" did just that.Both movies deal with serial killers, have strong female lead actress(es), good score, great performances, an outsider "expert" who is locked and a serial killer who copycats other serial killers (well, in "Silence of the Lambs" he wasn't really a copycat, the writers just took elements from Ted Bundy and Ed Gein to build his character and actions). While "Silence of the Lambs" is considered a masterpiece, I have to say that I always enjoyed "Copycat" a lot more. I also never understood some of the motivations in "Silence of the Lambs", like the reason Hannibal is helping Clarice and trying so hard to "get inside her head", and certain plot points.This is the way you make an excellent thriller.