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 butticker” 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. Altough 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 hightem 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. 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 theexplosive ending. But, as far as thrillers go, this is a great addition to a small set of classics.
Copycat Region 2