A good techno thriller, and probably a story we need in a world where dumb true crime podcasts are insanely popular, however it’s not told in the best way. I always appreciate when a director aims for long takes, but when these tracking shots aren’t filled with the most interesting blocking, framing or a tight flow of information, I don’t quite get the point. We’re still setting up new characters and relationships at the halfway mark because of these directorial choices. Did we really need this extensive courtroom introduction? It’s well acted and scripted, but I don’t think so. The story is set at some undisclosed point in the future, and because of that it gets away with some things that might feel too exaggerated in the present, however there are still a few moments where they’re clearly forcing dramatic movement. I didn’t give _Creed 3_ a pass for the scene where one of the characters interrupts a live television broadcast with a phone call, so I’m not going to do that here either. The deconstruction of our unhealthy obsession with serial killers I found a lot more interesting, leading to a few scenes that could be labeled as exploitative torture porn, however they’re handled tastefully and serve a bigger point. The director has a good grasp on what (not) to show, as well as how to use sound. The character development and arcs I also found quite satisfying, taking some turns in the third act that I didn’t quite expect. Overall, while I think it’s very flawed, they might’ve just hit on a formula here that could inform how serial killer films are tackled going forward.

5.5/10