This is the first time I’m seeing this film, even though it was released 20 years ago.  When I would go to the video store, I would pick it up and then put it down for something else.  I saw it playing on cable television, but something else was always on which I wanted to see more.  I finally watched it, after all these years.

This film is directed by Jon Amiel and written by David Madsen and Ann Biderman.  Biderman has gone on to write some great neo-noir and crime stuff for both movies and television.  This has a star-studded cast with Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermot Mulroney and Harry Connick Jr. being the big names in this film.

This film starts out with Weaver giving a lecture on serial killers, establishing her as our expert on the subject for this film.  She is attacked by Connick in the bathroom after her lecture and our opening credits role.  We then meet Mulroney and Hunter as homicide detectives doing some training.  They find a murder victim and feel they have a serial killer on their hands.  They soon recruit Weaver to help them.  She discovers our killer is emulating famous serial killers throughout history.  The investigation takes off from there.

This film feels average among a rush of neo-noir films coming out in the 1990’s, you can feel The Silence of The Lambs influences on this as well as having the bad luck to come out the same year as Se7en.  It seems to be rehashing these ground breaking films of the time but not bringing anything really new to the table.  Weaver said she was most proud of this film, but also said that the film was lost in the shuffle of all the thrillers coming out at this time.  It’s a good film, I think it maybe a bit to long at over 2 hours to tell this story.  I think they could have edited out a murder or two and cranked up the intensity for a more taut feeling film.  It is a must see for Weaver fans and Hunter fans won’t be disappointed.  If you love your serial killer thrillers from the 1990’s this should be on your “to watch list” if you have not seen it yet.