X

2023
R
Vertical Entertainment
1 h 59 m

2023
R
Vertical Entertainment
1 h 59 m

Summary Eleanor (Shailene Woodley) is a young police investigator wrestling with the demons of her past when she is recruited by the FBI’s chief investigator (Ben Mendelsohn) to help profile and track the work of a disturbed individual. As the police and FBI launch a nationwide manhunt, they are thwarted at every turn by the individual’s unprece...

Directed By: Damián Szifron

Written By: Jonathan Wakeham, Damián Szifron

2023
R
Vertical Entertainment
1 h 59 m

2023
R
Vertical Entertainment
1 h 59 m

To Catch a Killer

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews

43

User Score Mixed or Average Based on 40 User Ratings

5.8

My Score

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Where to Watch

Summary Eleanor (Shailene Woodley) is a young police investigator wrestling with the demons of her past when she is recruited by the FBI’s chief investigator (Ben Mendelsohn) to help profile and track the work of a disturbed individual. As the police and FBI launch a nationwide manhunt, they are thwarted at every turn by the individual’s unprece...

Directed By: Damián Szifron

Written By: Jonathan Wakeham, Damián Szifron

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews

18% Positive
2 Reviews

55% Mixed
6 Reviews

27% Negative
3 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews

18% Positive
2 Reviews

55% Mixed
6 Reviews

27% Negative
3 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Apr 21, 2023

For the most part, To Catch a Killer is a thriller that thrills more than other similar films do, and Shailene Woodley adds another laurel to her already impressive resume.

By Rex Reed FULL REVIEW

Apr 18, 2023

The worst thing you can say about To Catch a Killer is that it’s so adeptly executed in all departments that one is disappointed it ends up feeling a tad generic. It’s engrossing, sometimes exciting, yet never fully free from an overall sense of derivation.

By Dennis Harvey FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

User Score

Mixed or Average Based on 40 User Ratings

43% Positive
17 Ratings

40% Mixed
16 Ratings

18% Negative
7 Ratings

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

User Reviews

User Score

Mixed or Average Based on 40 User Ratings

43% Positive
17 Ratings

40% Mixed
16 Ratings

18% Negative
7 Ratings

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Nov 3, 2023

Loved this one. I say it everytime it's necessary but I'll do so again. The gore, the killing and whatnot isn't part of my intrigue. They could of of paneled the death scenes and I'd of still given this a ten. The way the officer notices small details, the bureaucracy and the overall insight on how much more damage is done through politics than healing is the core of why I love this one.

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May 15, 2023

Szifron incarnates a mass shooter and a troubled officer to antagonize a sick culture. A genre movie that takes more significance in everything that surrounds the investigation.

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Apr 19, 2023

To Catch a Killer positions itself as a manhunt feature intent on saving the day. It has all the right pieces: A young misfit cop, a twisted serial killer, two equally killer lead actors. It’s just missing two crucial pieces: Suspense and coherence.

By Aurora Amidon FULL REVIEW

May 25, 2023

The plot proceeds like a mid-season episode of CSI: Anywhere, just with better cinematography and a mournful cello score.

By Ellen E Jones FULL REVIEW

Apr 17, 2023

Woodley and Mendelsohn do everything they can to convert the weak story to something worth watching.

By Patrice Witherspoon FULL REVIEW

Apr 21, 2023

Ultimately, To Catch a Killer blames all of the gruesome violence it depicts on the perpetrator’s mental health and offers only a surface-level exploration of the system that failed him.

By Marya E. Gates FULL REVIEW

Apr 15, 2023

If a tired retelling of a serial killer thriller premieres in theaters and nobody sees it, did it actually happen? Unfortunately, yes.

By Samantha Bergeson FULL REVIEW

See All 11 Critic Reviews

Oct 5, 2023

This was a great movie, and nowadays that's a rare occurrence. Great character development, beautiful direction and editing, perfect build up and reveal of the killer's identity and motifs. A must see!

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Mar 2, 2024

(Mauro Lanari) The pair of FBI profiler and female rookie agent had already been seen in "The Bone Collector" (Noyce '99) and is inspired by the relationship between Hannibal and Clarice. The villan's misanthropy cannot be understood as the Argentine Szifrón's criticism only of Yankeeland. The film has a crackling pace until the screenplay runs out of ideas, then it sags and gets boring. Watchable for the first half.

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Apr 22, 2023

The action part is solid and decent. Good acting, music, etc. The rest of the movie is, well, politically correct propaganda with a set of cliches. What else can you expect from a Hollywood movie?

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Sep 2, 2023

Could have been good but had to go into all the political talking points. Gun control. Eating meat. Unfair society. Had they stayed in their lane of entertainment and not preaching it would have been much more ENTERTAINING. I give it a lower rating for that and the resulting eye rolling.

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Jul 16, 2023

So bad I couldn't possibly spoil it. First, this imaginary white supremacy demon is about as credible as the satanic cult theory in the 80s. Second, I never really noticed, because she makes no impression on me, but Shalene Woodley I'd a terrible actress. Add a boring and unbelievable plot full of bogus police procedural stuff, not yo mention the ever-present temperature of the nurturing, but tough woman lead, and you get an over-priced underwritten lump of crap. I almost sensed the better actors just phoning it in.

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See All 13 User Reviews

Details

Production Company FilmNation Entertainment, Ice Studio Mexico City, RainMaker Films

Release Date Apr 21, 2023

Duration 1 h 59 m

Rating R

Genres

Tagline A city at the center of chaos. A detective with special skills. A madman testing her limits.

View All Details

Awards

Beijing International Film Festival

• 1 Nomination

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