Boston Strangler (2023)

Boston Strangler stands out by turning a notorious true-crime headline into a tense, boots-on-the-ground journalism thriller, where the most gripping question isn’t just who did it, but how the truth gets fought for and finally printed. Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon are terrific as two reporters pushing against institutional stonewalling and everyday sexism, and the film’s crisp period detail makes 1960s Boston feel lived-in rather than dressed-up. Director Matt Ruskin keeps the suspense simmering with an understated, procedural realism that’s more about persistence and pressure than cheap shocks, even as the danger tightens around the story. It’s not for the faint of heart given the subject matter, but if you like smart, actor-driven thrillers with a conscience, this one rewards your attention.

Boston Strangler wants to be a sober, journalist-driven true-crime thriller that spotlights the women who fought to connect the dots while battling institutional sexism, and that angle is genuinely worthwhile. The problem is it often plays like a checklist of familiar procedural beats, with pacing that drifts and a structure that feels repetitive rather than steadily tightening the noose. If you’re coming for a tense, edge-of-your-seat serial-killer mystery, you may find the suspense oddly muted and the storytelling more dutiful than gripping. Still, Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon bring real conviction, and if you prefer investigative reporting to lurid thrills (and can handle disturbing subject matter), it’s a watchable, if not especially memorable, take on the case.