The Alphabet Killer (2008)

Strong and Moving!

Nice effects though.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The idea of a schizophrenic detective was very intriguing. That intrigue got me through most of the movie, but it all fell apart into a confusing jumble at the end. I am still not sure what was real at the end and what was a hallucination.I was very dissatisfied with who the killer apparently turned out to be. It seemed so artificial. The movie had a very interesting true story to draw from and one of the current suspects would have made an excellent character in the movie. If I had to redo this movie I would have Megan Paige (Dushku) using her hallucinations to allow her to use her brilliance to catch or come close to catching the real killer. As it was the hallucinations were merely a visual way of communicating to the audience that she was mentally ill.Promising movie, but fails to deliver in the end.

A thrilling crime drama full of intrigue and anxiety. Megan Paige(Eliza Dushku)is a Rochester, NY detective with a devotion for her work that borders obsession. She gets deeply involved with the case of a ten year old girl that is brutally raped and murdered. Megan works herself into a frenzy and when she begins seeing visions and talking to herself she is taken off the case. She suffers a total nervous breakdown and is institutionalized for two years. She returns to work as a records clerk. Her ex-boyfriend(Cary Elwes)has been promoted to head of the department and wants to keep a safe distance from her. When another young girl is abducted, raped and murdered Megan finds a connection that no one else immediately sees. This new case is off limits to desk jockey Paige and she slowly begins suffering a relapse and the only one that seems to understand her situation is a friend from her time at the psychiatric hospital(Timothy Hutton). Paranoid schizophrenia gets in the way of Megan's new work as an adviser in what has become a hunt for a serial killer. Director Rob Schmidt is able to present the grim story in a convincing fashion. The atmosphere is dark and cold and frazzles the viewers nerves...and that is a good thing. Dushku is fantastic in the role. Others in the cast: Michael Ironside, Tom Noonan, Carl Lumbly and Tom Malloy.

This crime thriller centers on a detective named Megan (Eliza Dushku) who investigates a series of child murders in upstate New York. But Megan suffers from a mental illness, the symptoms of which get worse as she delves deeper into the killings. She hears strange voices and sees "visions" related to the victims.With low light levels and muted colors, combined with creepy background music, the film's first half creates an effective thriller atmosphere. We see the outline of the killer, but never the face. Will Megan solve the murders and overcome her illness, or will the inept police supersede, to botch the case? As viewers, we root for Megan to succeed.Although the script idea originates from a real-life murder case, referred to generally as the "double initial" serial killings, which terrorized upstate New York in the early 1970s, the film's overall plot and main characters are fictional. The story setting is the present, not the 1970s. The scriptwriter created the Megan character out of thin air. And the story's outcome deviates considerably from the outcome of the real-life case. The film's writer wrote a fictional plot, based on a real-life premise. The film's second half fails to convince, largely because of its clichéd plot contrivances.Visuals consist of an annoying widescreen projection and some hokey CGI effects, in the form of "ghosts". But the low lighting contributes tension, as does some clever low-angle camera shots. And the director relies mostly on a hand-held camera, which enhances realism. Overall casting and acting are fine."The Alphabet Killer" gets off to a great start. But it falters in the second half, owing to fictional plot points that dilute the underlying real-life premise. I would have preferred a narrative that followed the true story, though I understand that the reason for not doing so was budget constraints. By lowering one's expectations, the viewer may find the film worthwhile, either as a fictional thriller or as a character study of a woman fighting her own demons.

I watched THE ALPHABET KILLER on Showtime last night. It is based on a true-life serial killer case in Rochester, New York. However, I'm not sure if the true events that inspired this thriller included a dogged homicide investigator who pursues a child murderer, despite suffering from schizophrenia. It's an interesting take, though.Eliza Dushku, does an incredible job playing Megan Paige, the detective, whose condition makes her believe she can see the spirits of the victims. I found her character very sympathetic; and, quite believable.Unfortunately, the movie was a bit predictable (even the "twist" seemed obvious to me).