Very entertaining "psychological puzzle thriller" without any violent action scenes but with graphic crime scenes. The pace of the movie is slow at first but begins to pick up midway through. The scenes in general are dark and gloomy, which more or less sets the tone for Defoe's character. The title is based on the word "anamorphosis" which is a form of painting and plays into the artistic killings.
Willem Defoe is a low key alcoholic, teaching NYPD detective who, after almost five years, is still haunted by the personal ghosts of his last "big" case. Around this same time, high profile killings start to occur. The m.o. (method of operation) of the recent killings lead the police to suspect a serial killer is on the loose. Furthermore, the intricacies and "artistry" of the crime scenes are such that the department decides to bring in Defoe as consulting/lead detective with his partner (Speedman) into the investigation. What ensues is a bit of a cat and mouse game, with the audience slowly learning more about Defoe's past case and the strange similarities to the current one.
Defoe, not the actual plot, is the primary reason I decided to check out this movie. I was not sure what to expect and I admit that I was a bit confused about Defoe's character throughout the better part of the movie and impatient to find out more about his past and exactly how it tied into the present. The crime scenes are morbidly beautiful and I was awed by the sheer imagination of them as well. This movie really concentrates on the "artistic motivation" of serial killers and as such I found it quite intriguing. The puzzle aspects of the movie are reminiscent of "The Bone Collector" but I found "Anamorph" to be a bit headier - similar to "Se7en" but not as straightforward.
7/10. Worth checking out but probably not watching more than once other than to try to discover the anamorphic properties of the crime scenes. The stills of the crime scenes from this movie would make a great art book.
Willem Defoe is a low key alcoholic, teaching NYPD detective who, after almost five years, is still haunted by the personal ghosts of his last "big" case. Around this same time, high profile killings start to occur. The m.o. (method of operation) of the recent killings lead the police to suspect a serial killer is on the loose. Furthermore, the intricacies and "artistry" of the crime scenes are such that the department decides to bring in Defoe as consulting/lead detective with his partner (Speedman) into the investigation. What ensues is a bit of a cat and mouse game, with the audience slowly learning more about Defoe's past case and the strange similarities to the current one.
Defoe, not the actual plot, is the primary reason I decided to check out this movie. I was not sure what to expect and I admit that I was a bit confused about Defoe's character throughout the better part of the movie and impatient to find out more about his past and exactly how it tied into the present. The crime scenes are morbidly beautiful and I was awed by the sheer imagination of them as well. This movie really concentrates on the "artistic motivation" of serial killers and as such I found it quite intriguing. The puzzle aspects of the movie are reminiscent of "The Bone Collector" but I found "Anamorph" to be a bit headier - similar to "Se7en" but not as straightforward.
7/10. Worth checking out but probably not watching more than once other than to try to discover the anamorphic properties of the crime scenes. The stills of the crime scenes from this movie would make a great art book.