"Copycat" lives up to it's name. It shamelessly steals from other thrillers of recent years to create - a mediocre film.

The premise is simple: A killer duplicates murders by other famous serial killers (like Ted Bundy, Hillside Strangler, Zodiac, etc.). Sigourney Weaver plays Helen Hudson, a criminal psychologist and expert on serial killers with a severe case of agoraphobia. Holly Hunter is M.J. Monahan, a San Francisco detective assigned to solving the brutal murders. They team-up, reluctantly, to try and prevent the madman's killing spree.

In many ways "Copycat" resembles "Silence of the Lambs". A confined person - Lector vs. Hudson - of high intelligence divulging information on the topic of serial killer's psyche. M.J. vs. Clarice - detectives out to solve the crime. While both characters are drawn well, they are nothing compared to those of "Silence of the Lambs".

Toward the end, the film degenerates into a slasher flick with the the crazyed lunatic attacking and chasing Hudson through Moscony Center. At this point subtly goes out the window and we're left with a cliched ending.

Hunter and Weaver both perform admirably in the picture, and play off each other exceptionally well. The film's production values and cinematography are great, but as the end turns predictable the picture's magic fades.

Copyright (c) 1995 Tony Zidek