Copycat (1995)

Elevator Pitch: Helen Hudson is a criminologist who is an expert in serial killers. She has been targeted by a killer and only just saved, and as a result has become a recluse, dependent on alcohol and drugs. But when young women being to be killed in ways which seem to be copying some of the acts carried out by serial killers in the past she contacts the police, resulting in detectives Monahan and Goetz asking for her help in their attempts to track down the murderer. As time passes it becomes apparent that, despite her locks and bolts and the police guard on her apartment, she is being targeted by the killer.

Content: There is no sex or nudity (if we discount the quite grizzly photos of the murder victims)  but a lot of drinking and a bit of pill popping. We see the event which has resulted in Helen being unable to leave her San Francisco apartment. Importantly the detectives go to a shooting range and MJ Monahan (Holly Hunter) turns out to be a good shot. We soon see the serial killer at work as he cleverly recreates famous killings from the American past, and also how he begins to invade Helen’s world. It seems inevitable that he will get to her in the end, particularly when he targets her gay assistant.

A View: This movie was well liked by the critics who particularly praised the acting of Holly Hunter, and it probably made a bit of money as long as they did not spend too much on the publicity. There is a lot of tension and the choice of identifying the killer quite early was a good one, however there are one or two events and processes which are essential for the plot but which made me question what I could see on the screen. However all that being said it is probably worth the small cost of the download of a 25 year old film, and definitely a watch for nothing. 

Additional Info: The film was banned in Abbotsford BC Canada, due to attacks on two girls in the town in 1995, seen as possibly being linked to the film.