Copycat Movie Review 392

Copycat is a 1995 thriller directed by Jon Amiel and starring Sigourney Weaver, Dermot Mulroney and Holly Hunter.

Weaver plays a woman called Dr. Helen Hudson who is an expert on serial killers. She has been giving a lecture to some criminal psychology students when she is attacked by a psycho called Daryll Lee Cullum(Harry Connick Jr.). He catches her in the bathroom and she thinks that she will die. She survives but she becomes an agoraphobic and will never leave her apartment. She has everything that she needs there. She is helped by a pal, Andy(John Rothman) and she spends her life on computers instead of meeting people. When murders begin to happen in San Francisco where she lives, the cops want her help. Inspector Monahan(Hunter) and her partner, Goetz(Mulroney) come to her as she is an expert on murderers.

Helen does not want to get sucked in by murders again. She doesn't want to help the cops, but she eventually agrees. She realises that the killings are copycat murders of famous serial killers such as Ted Bundy, Hillside Stranglers and Son of Sam. The killer is trying to emulate these monsters. The killer also wants Helen and he begins to stalk her through her computer. She is scared that the cops cannot protect her from him. The cops get in contact with Cullum to get his help on the case. Goetz gets killed in the line of duty and Monahan has to work with Helen to get the guy.

They figure out that he is a guy called Peter Foley(William MacNamara) and they try and get him but he is very clever. He captures Helen and brings her back to the bathroom where she was attacked by Cullum. He tries to commit the crime exactly as Cullum did, but this time he will finish her off. Monahan turns up but he shoots her. Helen messes up his scenario and he goes mad. He wants her to pose exactly the way she should and this enables her to escape him. He chases her to the roof and there is a showdown with Helen, Monahan and Peter and Monahan shoots him dead. The movie ends with Cullum writing a letter to a fellow killer telling him how to kill Helen and we realise that he was in cahoots with Foley all along.

This is a very good thriller. I liked the cast and the story line. I have read many books on serial killers so this was interesting to me. I thought that Connick Jr was very different as Cullum and he was creepy which is hard to imagine if you know his other movies and his musical career. A solid thriller which I would highly recommend. I will give this an 9/10.