To Catch a Killer (2023)

What makes To Catch a Killer click is how it treats a manhunt less like a puzzle box and more like a pressure cooker—stylish, urgent, and emotionally bruised in all the right ways. Damián Szifron directs with a confident, kinetic grip, using music and momentum to keep the tension taut while still letting scenes breathe when they need to. Shailene Woodley brings a raw, quietly compelling edge to Eleanor Falco, and Ben Mendelsohn is terrific as the weary, sharp-eyed FBI lead who recognizes talent even when it comes wrapped in trouble. If you like your crime thrillers grounded, adult, and steadily escalating rather than glossy or quippy, this is an above-average genre ride that earns its chills.

“To Catch a Killer” wants to be a gritty, prestige serial-killer manhunt with emotional weight—an anxious New Year’s Eve nightmare filtered through a damaged but gifted cop and her wary FBI mentor. The problem is it rarely feels like it’s bringing anything new: the beats are familiar, the pacing drags, and the script leans so hard on “brooding” that character depth and clarity get left behind. Even when it looks stylish and Shailene Woodley and Ben Mendelsohn do solid, committed work, the tension often fizzles and the story can feel oddly muddled instead of gripping. If you’re after a sharp, twisty thriller or a truly insightful character study, this may test your patience—but if you can tolerate a slow burn for some moody atmosphere and competent performances, you might still get something out of it.