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Copycat

Copycat

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $13.48
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Remarkable display of talent...
Review: Here you have two tough broads, a good cop and the nastiest of killers. How can you lose? Actually, the pairing of Sigourney & Holly is wonderful, in this age of films so lacking in strong women's roles. Sigourney, in particular, after years of kicking alien-butt, withdraws as the victim of an almost lethal attack and subsequent nervous breakdown. Her house-bound recluse still shows fire and rage, well-controlled and centered; a really great performance. Holly, too, in a slightly less showy role, shows drive and command of her role. These women are magnificent, in their own ways, and carry this film through plot-twists and strange turns that are always compelling. Also compelling is the very taut direction of John Amiel, never missing a chance to include the audience in everything, though you don't realize it at the time. A very handsome Dermot Mulroney makes an auspicious presence as an "almost" sex-object for the women, and William McNamara is greatly effective as the ultimate center of the film. Harry Connick, Jr. has impressed me as an actor many times, but not so much as here. With rotten teeth and an oily, snake-like presence he is given a few memorable moments. This film has been compared to "Silence of the Lambs", but it really has its own character and drive. The tension is high, the plot well presented and the acting is superlative. I like this film a lot.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best of the Genre
Review: I've debated over writing a review of this movie simply becase words cannot express how fascinating and brilliant it is. The plot is seemingly simple: Sigourney Weaver portrays Dr. Helen Hudson, a retired but brilliant criminal psychiatrist, who is a step ahead of the police in solving a recent rash of murders by a serial killer. Two detectives, played by Dermot Mulroney and the deceptively simple Holly Hunter, lure Hudson back into the fold to aid the police in stopping this killer. If only it was that simple. That it's not is what makes this movie great. Hudson's brilliance is eclipsed by her pill-popping nature and her alcoholism. She's also agoraphobic, in that she hasn't left her house in 13 months, when she was attacked by the last serial killer she was responsible for incarcerating. Now aided by Hudson, the cops search for a killer who is copycatting murders made famous decades earlier by Son of Sam, the Hillside Stranglers, and the Boston Strangler. William McNamara is chilling as the psychopath in that he embodies the basic profile of all serial killers. He's young, handsome, charming, affable and evil to the core. Just when you think it's all resolved, the final scene is the most shocking of all.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best of the Genre
Review: I've debated over writing a review of this movie simply because words cannot express how fascinating and brilliant it is. The plot is seemingly simple: Sigourney Weaver portrays Dr. Helen Hudson, a retired but brilliant criminal pschiatrist, who is a step ahead of the police in solving a recent rash of murders by a serial killer. Two detectives, played by Dermont Mulroney and the deceptively simple Holly Hunter, lure Hudson back into the fold to aid the police in stopping this killer. If only it was that simple. That it's not is what makes this movie great. Hudson's brilliance is eclipsed by her pill-popping nature and her alcoholism. She's also agoraphobic, in that she hasn't left her house in 13 months, when she was attacked by the last serial killer she was responsible for incarcerating. Now aided by Hudson, the cops search for a killer who is copycatting murders made famous decades earlier by Son of Sam, the Hillside Stranglers, and the Boston Strangler. William McNamara is chilling as the psychopath in that he embodies the basic profile of all serial killers. He's young, handsome, charming, affable and evil to the core. Just when you think it's all resolved, the final scene is the most shocking of all.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: More than a 'Silence of the Lambs' rip off...
Review: I've seen a number of reviews that refer to this movie as a "Silence of the Lambs" rip-off. I disagree. "Copy Cat", while similar in many aspects to "Silence of the Lambs", manages to stand alone. The story line is nothing new...evil serial killer terrorizing young girls, cops teaming up with an expert to track him down before he selects and filets his next victim. You've seen it before, right? Well, maybe not.

"Copy Cat" is filled with twists and turns and exceptional acting. The overall mood is dark and foreboding. Helen Hudson (brilliantly played by Sigourney Weaver) is a psychiatrist and expert in the field of serial killers. However, she is not your run of the mill "hero"... in fact, she's a mess. She can't even leave her house since she was terrorized and almost made into Darryl Lee Cullum's final victim. Cullum, now imprisoned, did quite a number on Hudson, turning her into a pill-popping, jittering, agoraphobic shell.

Ironically, the protege of Darryl Lee is what actually brings her back from the living dead, as she works with police to track down a copy-cat killer that re-enacts the most horrifying murders history has to offer. Helen Hunt and Dermont Mulroney play the cops working feverishly to catch the copy-cat before he can strike again. Hunt and Weaver play off of each other exceptionally well. Their animosity turns into grudging respect as they realize they need one another to survive this.

Yes, this film does have similarities with "Silence of the Lambs" but it also has characteristics that set it apart. This movie is filled with exceptional acting, a good story line, plot twists, realistic (if flawed) heroes and a dark, creepy atmosphere. If you did enjoy "Silence of the Lambs" try "Copy Cat"...same style, differnt movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good story, great suspense...
Review: If you like suspense, mystery, a good story, and for the most part, good acting, then this movie is a good choice. What I like about Copycat (besides Sigourney Weaver) is how it seems to come full circle. It feels complete to me. It starts at the beginning, doesn't backtrack with flashbacks or start in the middle and leave you wondering what's going on. You're able to follow along and not get distracted by unnecessary gore (sure there is some, but not much). It's a psychological thriller, and I like that much better than the slash and dash type of movies. It makes you think and allows you to try and figure out what the outcome will be.

Sure, you expect the star to live, but it's not always a given. The ending kind of hints at a sequel but as far as I know, there isn't one. If they can make one as good as the first, I think it would do well (at least those who enjoyed this one, might see the second). It's rather interesting to see the Harry Connick Jr. play a serial killer. He's pretty creepy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A good thriller.
Review: Serial killer expert Dr Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver) lives isolated in her apartment after being the victim of a murder attempt. When a new killer wreaks havoc in San Francisco, the police contact her for help. They soon figure out that the killer is copying old, famous murders. In order to catch the killer, and avoid becoming his victims themselves, they have to try to figure out his next moves.

It's a good thriller with some quite chilling scenes. Sigourney Weaver is good as the traumatized Dr Hudson, and Holly Hunter is charming as always as the good cop. The supporting cast is good as well. If you like thrillers and haven't seen this movie, you've got two thrilling, entertaining hours to look forward to. And it may be worth watching more than once.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: 7's an unlucky number
Review: Serial killer psychologist who survived a strangulation some years prior is enlisted by the local police force when a serial killer starts patterning himself after other famous killers. Much better plotted and ran through than Se7en, this film is much more interesting and slicker. Doesn't use full scale gore and torture techniques to produce scares and even packs a few laughs.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very Intense
Review: Sigourney Weaver gives a solid performance here but it's Harry Connick that steals the show.he palys his role very well.in fact it's Arguably his best Role ever.very creepy&intense.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Its title sums it up pretty well
Review: Sigourney Weaver is a criminal psychologist terrified into seclusion by a run-in with sicko serial killer Harry Connick Jr. When young women start turning up dead in San Francisco, Weaver is recruited by chipper detective Holly Hunter and partner Dermot Mulroney to catch the killer, who is apparently mimicking famous serial murderers. This tense but cold and reprehensible thriller has as little feeling for the victims as the killer does; it's just a high-toned slasher flick given unearned weight by Oscar-winning/nominated actresses. It's nowhere near the same league as "The Silence of the Lambs" or "Seven," both of which were about something other than cat-and-mouse games.

Recommended, with major reservations, for fans of Hunter and Weaver; fans of Connick, on the other hand, may want to skip this if they want to preserve their image of him as a nice guy with a smooth voice and a way with the ivories - he's pretty damn convincing as a vicious redneck psycho, and the way the movie leaves you with him staring blankly at you for 2 or 3 minutes during the end credits (it's not a freeze-frame, either) is a bit unnerving. In fact, his face staring at you is scarier than any of the preceding 2 hours.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Grabs You By the Edge of Seat
Review: Sigourney Weaver plays a housebound, phobic and drug addicted forensic psychologist. She has become housebound as a result of a serious threat to her life by a notorious killer.

Prior to he becoming disabled, Weaver had been a highly accomplished forensic psychologist who's speciality was serial killlers. She had been a national expert on serial killer patterns, the messages they were sending, and what their general profile might be. All this has come to a halt as a result of the assault experience and its aftermath.

When a challenging series of new killings break out, local police reluctantly consult Weaver who makes some inital contact with the department about her theories. Despite her condition and police wariness, Weaver proves to be a very important ingredient to solving the crime spree.

Weaver is tied into the world via computer. Her excellent portrayal of a troubled psychologist and her incredible ability to place the pieces of the killer puzzle in order, make her the center of this captivating story.

Dermot Mulrooney, Holly Hunter, Harry Connick, Jr., and William McNamara round out an outstanding cast.

This is one to watch over and over!


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