Like Minds (2006)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Gregory J. Read

Writer:

Gregory J. Read (writer)

Release Date:

3 August 2006 (Portugal)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Fear and evil make deadly companions.

Plot:

A forensic psychologist (Collette) is tasked with determining whether or not a minor should face murder charges for killing his schoolmate.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Detective | Psychologist | Evidence | Secret Society

Cast

Eddie Redmayne	...	Alex
Tom Sturridge	...	Nigel Colbie
Toni Collette	...	Sally
Richard Roxburgh	...	McKenzie
Patrick Malahide	...	Headmaster
Jon Overton	...	Josh (as Jonathan Overton)
Amit Shah	...	Raj
David Threlfall	...	John Colbie
Cathryn Bradshaw	...	Helen Colbie
Kate Maberly	...	Susan Mueller
Hugh Sachs	...	Rev Donaldson
Liam McKenna	...	Mr Fergus
Bryan Robson	...	Mr Evans
Paul Sonkkila	...	Police Bureaucrat
Craig Crosbie	...	Coroner

Also Known As:

Murderous Intent (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

UK:110 min | Argentina:110 min

Country:

Australia | UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (self-rating) | Argentina:16 | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Trivia:

Director Gregory J. Read's feature film debut.

Quotes:

Alex Forbes: I read once that a third of women study psychology to work out their own personal problems, what do you think?

Movie Connections:

References The 39 Steps (1935)

A Dark, Finely Wrought Mystery of the Highest Caliber!

For some strange reason the very fine Australian/British film LIKE MINDS underwent a name change and hit the US market as MURDEROUS INTENT. The original title is so much more apropos of the story: the alternate title tends to make the audience pass over 'just another death film' category that prevents this excellent little film from appealing to a wide audience. Writer/Director Gregory J. Reed and his talented cast and production staff deserve better as this is a stunning psychological drama well worth seeing.

The setting is an all boys' prep school and among the students is Alex (a very fine young Eddie Redmayne) who happens to be the son of the headmaster (Patrick Malahide) and is a brilliant scholar - if somewhat of a troublemaker at the same time. Into this setting arrives a new student Nigel (an equally fine young Tom Sturridge) who is a darkly quiet, malevolent, bright lad preoccupied with history and necrophilia. The two boys are placed together as roommates, much to Alex's objections, and gradually secrets are unraveled that show how the two boys become, via gestalt, a sum of evil greater than its parts. Alex is horrified and yet fascinated with the ritual-influenced deaths that begin to occur and when Nigel himself is murdered, Alex is the blamed.

Enter the police: McKenzie (Richard Roxburgh) arrests and charges Alex with murder, but requires substantiation from a forensic psychologist Sally (the always superb Toni Collette). Sally interviews Alex, observes his behavior and manages to get inside his mind, learn about the historical data that has directed the evil from her astute questioning sessions with Alex, and begins to follow her own intuition about the case. There are twists and turns, flashbacks to incidents, investigation details, and discoveries bordering on the occult that spin this dark yarn like a helix of fear. The ending will surprise the viewer.

The script is superb, the acting is top notch, the production design is accomplished and the musical score by Carlo Giacco is simply brilliant. This is a fine art film, graced by the quality of superior acting set by Collette, and is a tense drama that will keep an audience thinking and involved to the final credits. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp