Copycat holds its own as a very underrated and entertaining mystery thriller. Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, and Dermot Mulroney lead a great cast and Harry Connick Jr. Is surprisingly very good being cast against type.
Criminal psychologist Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver) suffers from agoraphobia after being attacked by serial killer Darryl Lee Callum (Harry Connick Jr.) following a lecture where she is almost killed and she witnesses a police officer being brutally murdered. Though Darryl Lee Callum is arrested, Helen Hudson is confined to her high tech apartment and her only link to the outside world is her computer. Her friend Andy (John Rothman) is her carer helping her with buying groceries and also assisting her when she has reoccurring panic attacks. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Police Department is investigating a number of homicides that are occurring and Inspectors MJ Monahan (Holly Hunter) and Reuben Goltz (Dermot Mulroney) are the lead investigators. Helen Hudson tries to tell the police they are the work of a copycat serial killer, but is initially dismissed until Inspector Monahan and Goltz visit her to listen what she says. They eventually agree to let Helen assist them with the investigation. Helen explains that the current serial killer is a copycat, having copied famous serial killers from the past (Son of Sam, Hillside Strangler, Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer among others). Helen Hudson and Inspectors Monahan and Goltz must work together to find the serial killer and put a stop to the copycat murders, before he strikes again and quite possibly close to home.
Sigourney Weaver has always been a great actress, especially in movies such as Ghostbusters (1984) and its sequel, the Alien series in particular Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), and Gorillas in the Mist (1988). Here in Copycat she does a great job portraying a character with agoraphobia.
Helen Hudson was great to watch as the SFPD Homicide Inspector MJ Monahan as is Dermot Mulroney as Inspector Reuben Goltz.
Singer Harry Connick Jr. Was a surprise casting choice as serial killer Darryl Lee Callum. We all know Harry Connick Jr. As a charismatic musician and nobody expected him to portray a very unlikeable and repugnant character which he does a great job.
The rest of the cast includes Will Patton, J. E. Freeman, and William McNamara.
Director Jon Amiel has done well with a movie that could have been a routine thriller but instead is one that keeps audiences intrigued and in suspense.
Underrated on release, Copycat was a modest hit at the box office in 1995 and also received many positive reviews. Though it's not as talked up as much as other movies such as Se7en which was also released in the same year, Copycat still holds its own as a very entertaining serial killer thriller and with a quality cast. I was afraid that this would be a movie that just got lost after a few decades having been popular on VHS, DVD and when screened on TV (although the TV version is edited). I'm glad this has popped up on Disney Plus and I hope this movie will be recognised by newer audiences and still appreciated by those that saw the movie years ago. Copycat is still a worthy thriller.
7/10.
Criminal psychologist Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver) suffers from agoraphobia after being attacked by serial killer Darryl Lee Callum (Harry Connick Jr.) following a lecture where she is almost killed and she witnesses a police officer being brutally murdered. Though Darryl Lee Callum is arrested, Helen Hudson is confined to her high tech apartment and her only link to the outside world is her computer. Her friend Andy (John Rothman) is her carer helping her with buying groceries and also assisting her when she has reoccurring panic attacks. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Police Department is investigating a number of homicides that are occurring and Inspectors MJ Monahan (Holly Hunter) and Reuben Goltz (Dermot Mulroney) are the lead investigators. Helen Hudson tries to tell the police they are the work of a copycat serial killer, but is initially dismissed until Inspector Monahan and Goltz visit her to listen what she says. They eventually agree to let Helen assist them with the investigation. Helen explains that the current serial killer is a copycat, having copied famous serial killers from the past (Son of Sam, Hillside Strangler, Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer among others). Helen Hudson and Inspectors Monahan and Goltz must work together to find the serial killer and put a stop to the copycat murders, before he strikes again and quite possibly close to home.
Sigourney Weaver has always been a great actress, especially in movies such as Ghostbusters (1984) and its sequel, the Alien series in particular Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), and Gorillas in the Mist (1988). Here in Copycat she does a great job portraying a character with agoraphobia.
Helen Hudson was great to watch as the SFPD Homicide Inspector MJ Monahan as is Dermot Mulroney as Inspector Reuben Goltz.
Singer Harry Connick Jr. Was a surprise casting choice as serial killer Darryl Lee Callum. We all know Harry Connick Jr. As a charismatic musician and nobody expected him to portray a very unlikeable and repugnant character which he does a great job.
The rest of the cast includes Will Patton, J. E. Freeman, and William McNamara.
Director Jon Amiel has done well with a movie that could have been a routine thriller but instead is one that keeps audiences intrigued and in suspense.
Underrated on release, Copycat was a modest hit at the box office in 1995 and also received many positive reviews. Though it's not as talked up as much as other movies such as Se7en which was also released in the same year, Copycat still holds its own as a very entertaining serial killer thriller and with a quality cast. I was afraid that this would be a movie that just got lost after a few decades having been popular on VHS, DVD and when screened on TV (although the TV version is edited). I'm glad this has popped up on Disney Plus and I hope this movie will be recognised by newer audiences and still appreciated by those that saw the movie years ago. Copycat is still a worthy thriller.
7/10.