Greetings again from the darkness. Argentinian writer-director Damian Szifron was behind the terrific WILD TALES (2014),which received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, and this time out, he and co-writer Jonathan Wakeham venture into psychological crime procedural territory. A captivating opening sequence, expert photography, and top notch acting from the two leads keeps us watching, although there seems to have been some confusion on the best path for the script. The end result is watchable, but not memorable.

It is New Year's Eve in Baltimore and celebrations, revelry, and parties are occurring all over the city. As beat cop Eleanor Falco (Shailene Woodley, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, 2014) negotiates a mundane rift between an irritated diner owner and a slow-eating customer, shots begin to ring out. This frantic sequence captures the panic as we witness a few of the 29 gun shots that find a target. Officer Falco races a couple of blocks to the high-rise building where an explosion occurs. It turns out the sniper destroyed his own lair in order to avoid leaving evidence.

Enter renowned FBI Agent Lammark (Ben Mendelsohn, ANIMAL KINGDOM, 2010) who takes charge of the investigation. This point is mentioned because the chain-of-command plays a vital role in the proceedings ... Lammark wants to run the investigation, but bureaucrats and politicians interfere. Lammark hones in on Falco and her instincts. Of course, she has a checkered past that includes having her FBI application denied. Here she acts as a liaison and provides insight into the killer. Get it? One damaged person can relate to another.

Some social commentary gets periodically interjected - gun control, power plays by law enforcement, misplaced priorities by politicians - but the fun part is watching Mendelsohn and Woodley flash their respective talent. She's kind of a flawed Clarice Starling and he's a guy that is committed to finding the bad guy. Filmed in Montreal, cinematographer Javier Julia maintains a cool atmosphere throughout, and Carter Burwell's music delivers some excellent piano parts. This ends up being one of those movies that's enough fun to watch if you don't think too hard while it's playing, and it also reminds us that Ben Mendelsohn and Shailene Woodley are fine actors who deliver in every role.

Opens in theaters on April 21, 2023.

I haven't been rating movies, but I feel it is necessary for me to review this one. This is not a thrill-a-second kind of movie. It progresses intelligently and thoughtfully. It is a thinking movie. The acting and script are excellent. The two leads were perfect for this movie. They seemed to feed off of one another, trying to outdo each other as the best actor in the movie. So many movies fall flat at the end. But this one excelled. It actually has a good ending. I recommend this movie to anyone who is intelligent, and likes to think. Yes, it got a bit slow with some scenes that maybe could have been written a little better. That's why I'm only giving it an eight. But I don't know how anyone could walk away from this movie disappointed!

First of all, rotten tomatoes has reviewers comparing this to Silence of the Lambs. That's ho I heard about this one and got curious. This movie is a throwback to more of the mystery, thrillers we had in the 90s, but it's not Silence of the Lambs. The killer here is vicious and has a high body count. The pacing was pretty decent and I must say even more exciting than a lot of thrillers out today.

First, that opening sequence will grab your attention and the movie is bright enough to see that action on screen. Every performance works here and is played as a straight forward, solid thriller. I read where folks were split in how it ended. In my opinion, I thought the whole movie is solid and the ending was perfect. This is that rare thriller that I'd actually pay to see again.