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Taking its lead from Jonathan Demme's Oscar-winning pulse-raiser The Silence of the Lambs, Copycat strives for intelligence over gristle and carnage. It's a terse, involving thriller that swings away from the usual cinematic notion of violence as a means to an end by forgoing brawn for brains. Young San Francisco police inspector Ruben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) is teamed with brilliant force vet, M.J. Monahan (Holly Hunter), a diplomatic, no-nonsense cop who must buck the system in order to find a killer who is copycatting the crimes of history's most notorious serial killers. Ruben would rather shoot to kill than merely wound a suspect; Monahan labors to help him think more diplomatically. Everything changes when crank calls arrive at the station from serial-killer pin-up girl psychiatrist Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver). She's been housebound for 13 months, ever since murderer Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick Jr.) nearly made her his next victim because she testified against him in court. Though he's in prison, he's still mentor and muse to every loose cannon walking the streets--one of whom is killing people with a vengeance and hoping to finish the job Cullum began. Cop and doc team up to solve the case in this stylish, plot-driven movie. Though Copycat loses steam in the end, it still makes a point. And it serves as a cautionary tale for people everywhere, tossing in street smart warnings against victimization. The teaming of Hunter and Weaver works well, the short and the tall forging a terrific and frictioned relationship that leads to grudging respect. Establishing an ominous atmosphere reminiscent of his classic British TV miniseries The Singing Detective, director Jon Amiel has an eye for the dark and the unusual and it gives this film an edge that eludes most other mainstream filmmakers. --Paula NechakSimilarProduct
Customer reviews
Remarkable display of talent... 
by .. R. Gawlitta (Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA)
Here you have two tough broads, a good cop and the nastiest of killers. How can you lose? Actually, the pairing of Sigourney & Holly is wonderful, in this age of films so lacking in strong women's roles. Sigourney, in particular, after years of kicking alien-butt, withdraws as the victim of an almost lethal attack and subsequent nervous breakdown. Her house-bound recluse still shows fire and rage, well-controlled and centered; a really great performance. Holly, too, in a slightly less showy role, shows drive and command of her role. These women are magnificent, in their own ways, and carry this film through plot-twists and strange turns that are always compelling. Also compelling is the very taut direction of John Amiel, never missing a chance to include the audience in everything, though you don't realize it at the time. A very handsome Dermot Mulroney makes an auspicious presence as an "almost" sex-object for the women, and William McNamara is greatly effective as the ultimate center of the film. Harry Connick, Jr. has impressed me as an actor many times, but not so much as here. With rotten teeth and an oily, snake-like presence he is given a few memorable moments. This film has been compared to "Silence of the Lambs", but it really has its own character and drive. The tension is high, the plot well presented and the acting is superlative. I like this film a lot.
Fantastic! by .. Granuaile (Canada)
Having watched this movie in Law class, I can definitely say it's one of the best of its genre. It was fast-paced, thought-provoking, and utterly gripping.
Sigourney Weaver turns in a brilliant performance as Helen Hunt, a retired and agoraphobic woman with all the knowledge she'll ever need of the criminal mind - having been nearly murdered at the movie's beginning my Darryl Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr), the man behind everything. The other actors give us great insight of the way things work in a serial case, their mannerisms and skills as actors (especially William McNamara, the seductively charming psychopath) chilling us as we watch the drama unfold.
If you're looking for something new in the Thriller category, you could do much worse than this.
ONE FINE THRILLER by .. Michael Butts (Martinsburg, WV USA)
Amidst all the suspense, shocks, and chills of this superbly made thriller stands the awesome performances of Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter. Ever since she pioneered the "female buttkicker" in the Alien movies, Sigourney has stretched her range to show the immense amount of talent she possesses. Her role as agoraphobic Helen Hudson is one of her finest; she lets us feel every nuance of her frustration, her terror, her anger, her intense ability to be strong even when she admits she's weak. Matching her performance is the understated portrayal of cop M. J. Monahan by Oscar-winner Holly Hunter. Hunter's bravura etching of this likeable cop is extremely effective in counterbalancing the tormented Weaver. Although the fate of Dermot Mulroney as Monahan's partner is questionably appropriate, it does serve as a motivating factor in Hunter's pursuit of the serial killer. William McNamara's performance as Peter Foley may seem underplayed, but it serves to heighten the normal-ness of this obviously demented young man. Like life, the good guys don't always come out unscathed. The film is dark, brooding and its ending is chilling in that Harry Connick Jr.'s imprisoned psycho is obviously going to continue his quest for revenge on Weaver. A sequel would have been nice; I would have also liked to have had at least one scene with Weaver and Hunter after the explosive ending. But, as far as thrillers go, this is a great addition to a small set of classics.
The Best of the Genre by .. ()
I've debated over writing a review of this movie simply because words cannot express how fascinating and brilliant it is. The plot is seemingly simple: Sigourney Weaver portrays Dr. Helen Hudson, a retired but brilliant criminal pschiatrist, who is a step ahead of the police in solving a recent rash of murders by a serial killer. Two detectives, played by Dermont Mulroney and the deceptively simple Holly Hunter, lure Hudson back into the fold to aid the police in stopping this killer. If only it was that simple. That it's not is what makes this movie great. Hudson's brilliance is eclipsed by her pill-popping nature and her alcoholism. She's also agoraphobic, in that she hasn't left her house in 13 months, when she was attacked by the last serial killer she was responsible for incarcerating. Now aided by Hudson, the cops search for a killer who is copycatting murders made famous decades earlier by Son of Sam, the Hillside Stranglers, and the Boston Strangler. William McNamara is chilling as the psychopath in that he embodies the basic profile of all serial killers. He's young, handsome, charming, affable and evil to the core. Just when you think it's all resolved, the final scene is the most shocking of all.
"Should I shoot him or stick him?" by .. Film Noir Fedora ()
A killer gets caught when almost killing an expert on killers. While in prison he writes a book.
Sigourney Weaver thinks that her worst troubles are over . . .until a copycat killer is mimicking different killers of the past.
Dahmer, Son of Sam killer, Ted Bundy, just to name a few.
And, what is most disturbing of all is that he's really good at getting the detail all right.
This tension/thriller will give your brain a wake up call of intrigue.
Enjoy!