Copycat (film)

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Copycat
Directed by Jon Amiel
Produced by Arnon Milchan,
Mark Tarlov
Written by Ann Biderman,
David Madsen
Starring Sigourney Weaver,
Holly Hunter,
Dermot Mulroney,
Harry Connick, Jr.
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) October 13, 1995
Running time 123 Minutes
Language English
Budget $20,000,000
IMDb profile

Copycat is an American suspense movie thriller from 1995.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The psychologist Dr Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver) is an expert on serial killers. However, after one of her previous subjects -- incurable psychotic Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick Jr.) -- almost murders her, she becomes an agoraphobic, fearful of new attacks, living a terrified existence within the walls of her apartment. When a new series of murders begins which mimic the murders of famous serial killers, down to incredibly precise details, two detectives, M.J. Monahan (Holly Hunter) and Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) need Helen's help and expertise to catch the unknown serial killer. As the murders add up, of which one turns out to be Helen's gay assistant, the murderer, Peter Foley, known by the media as "the Copycat Killer", sneaks into her apartment by disguising as a policeman and taking her hostage to the place where Daryll Lee Cullum almost killed her. He tries to reenact the scene as closely as possible, even going as far as to kill another policeman at the scene, just as it had happened 13 months earlier. Eventually, M.J. shows up and kills Foley during the climactic scene on the rooftop. The movie ends with a scene showing Daryll Lee mailing a letter to another mass murderer to kill Helen while Daryll Lee sits in prison. This is important because this shows that Daryll Lee also most likely told Peter to do the same.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Trivia

  • While shooting the climactic bathroom reenactment scene, Sigourney Weaver actually spat in William McNamara's face without his prior knowledge from rehearsals. The reaction of anger and shock in his face is quite real due to his surprise.
  • The lines from the song "Murder By Numbers" by The Police that are quoted prominently in the film were first quoted and discussed in relation to serial killers in Elliott Leyton's book, Hunting Humans (1984).
  • There is an almost ten inch difference in the heights of Holly Hunter (5'2") and Sigourney Weaver (5'11.5"). At no point in the film are they ever standing next to each other in the same frame. One of them is always either sitting or standing on the other side of the room.

[edit] External links

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