I couldn't help but think that this was an unsatisfying attempt at a thriller by one of my favorites, Clint Eastwood, in a role that held promise to live up to it's title but ultimately didn't measure up. It might have worked better if the psychological angle involving Eastwood's character was explored more intimately, pushing the envelope on whether he could have been the killer he was stalking in a case of dual identity. The only duality that worked here was Wes Block's conflicted role as both a burn the midnight oil homicide detective, and devoted father of two young girls who's not around as much as he'd like to be.
As for the killer, who WAS he? The reveal at the end told us nothing after all the intrigue provided by the build up. Yes, he was a rapist Block put away thirteen years earlier, but without a face to go with the name, the showdown didn't carry as much weight as it could have. In fact, even though the villain put away around a half dozen victims in the first half of the story, his toying with Block was strictly amateurish. He reminded me of all those movie Western villains who have the drop on the good guy and then just fold like a cheap suit. Block should have been a goner when the killer invaded his home, and then in the cemetery after getting the shovel in the face. You just don't walk away from something like that. And what's with the police helicopter arriving right on cue? How did that happen? But at least Eastwood's character got the killer in the end; for that, you have to give the man a hand.
As for the killer, who WAS he? The reveal at the end told us nothing after all the intrigue provided by the build up. Yes, he was a rapist Block put away thirteen years earlier, but without a face to go with the name, the showdown didn't carry as much weight as it could have. In fact, even though the villain put away around a half dozen victims in the first half of the story, his toying with Block was strictly amateurish. He reminded me of all those movie Western villains who have the drop on the good guy and then just fold like a cheap suit. Block should have been a goner when the killer invaded his home, and then in the cemetery after getting the shovel in the face. You just don't walk away from something like that. And what's with the police helicopter arriving right on cue? How did that happen? But at least Eastwood's character got the killer in the end; for that, you have to give the man a hand.