Hangman (2001)

Serial killer detective thriller regarding a Police Detective's search for a slick murderer using an Internet game of Hangman, as a challenge to find him/her. Detective Nick Roos(Lou Diamond Phillips)enlists the aid of "retired" pill-popping psychotherapist, Grace Mitchell(Mädchen Amick), who supposedly awakened to find a man hung in her living room. As Roos and his precinct squad work to find the killer, a development seems to be occurring, those chosen by the Hangman are affiliated with Grace and her former place of employment, a psychiatric institute ran by her estranged stepfather, Dr. Henry Mitchell(Robert Haley). As Roos pursues leads and evidence, his team uncover suspicions of an employee, Paul Jarvis(Grant Nickalls)who was once a patient at the institute, carrying a torch for Grace. Roos also discovers that Grace's reason for leaving had to do with an affair and some bad blood associated to Dr. Henry's associate, Dr. Natalie Walsh(Rosemary Dunsmore). It seems that Natalie was having an affair with Henry as Grace's mother lie dying. Natalie's medical practices with patients was reported by Grace but Henry saved her from being terminated thanks to his powerful influence with the board. In turn, Grace was marked, with Natalie using her affair with a deeply depressed patient as leverage. Meanwhile Jarvis was stalking Grace, obsessed with her since first meeting her in the institute. The film shows that Jarvis was sneaking into a room right next to Grace's, even calling in a masseuse who would be a victim of the Hangman game..this took some gall considering that an armed policeman was guarding Grace's room and Roos was talking to her about the on-going case.Obvious, for those who have seen their fair share of these films, Jarvis is a red herring and the true mastermind will be revealed even though Paul isn't an innocent.The film features familiar traits often associated with these types of films and crime shows dealing with a detective who is burdened to find the killer, and we see how Roos is led on a wild goose chase with his superiors demanding answers, willing to close what they believe is a solved case when a man of his experience knows something's amiss. Also, the film(..as often as occurs in this type of crime thriller) allows the super-intelligent killer to perfectly plan and execute these incredibly difficult/elaborate Hangman murders encountering no problems, carrying them out without a hitch. I always find this far-fetched, but there are serial killers who have survived for a long time, duping police and investigators, but considering who the mastermind is in this film and how incredibly hard it would be to pull off the murders, staged the way they are, the participants involved, and the exact precision it takes without even the slightest mistake, you have to accept it as entertainment in order to fully swallow what's taking place. The film doesn't end the way many often expect, not at a neat resolution for our heroes as is often the case in the past involving detectives and their catching the killer responsible. We're asked to take a leap of faith considering that we must accept a character's personality changing quite drastically when the reveal takes place and the film unveils it's hand. Like many television shows and crime dramas, the detectives often face heavy resistance from sneering, slimy big-city lawyers who enjoy embarrassing them when it is shown that they were either wrong about an arrested suspect or just didn't have the proper evidence to hold him. And, like any giallo or mystery, the story opens numerous suspects, and a motive for committing such crimes soon is enlightened to the viewer. I think this film will possibly find a home with those who like slippery thrillers where the killer stays one step ahead of the police until the lead detective puts two + two together..the whole cat-and-mouse aspects might draw you in if you are a sucker for this sort of thing. Startling erotic sequence isn't expected and unveils the psychology of the murderer who'll do whatever it takes to get revenge. As always Lou Diamond allows his detective a sense of dignity and compassion, but he's quite gullible at times which exposes him as being human when it comes to shady characters with ulterior motives. Flashy role for Mädchen Amick, whose character is complex and conflicted, with plenty of skeletons in her closet.

This was an OK thriller, the plot is especially good, but it just isn't as good as it could/should have been, even for a TV movie. The plot seemed great when I read about it, but it just wasn't very special once you got into it. The movie is another typical "guess who did it" mystery thriller, and it primarily fails because it's almost instantaneously obvious who the perpetrator is, and from there, it's just watching the cops get to the bottom of the case, which you've already done. The acting ranges from good to just above average, but none of it's totally bad. The excitement of the movie is barely ever present, as most of the movie consists of the mystery of who did it(which is obvious very early on in the movie), and not the possible suspense of "can we save someones life?". It's just above average, and I guess it's worth watching if it's on TV, and there's absolutely nothing else interesting to watch. You could do a lot worse than this though, as a thriller it's just above average, and that's good enough, as this type of thriller rarely is more than that. 6/10

I really thought the first hour of this movie was really exceptional. However, the last 30+ minutes of the movie literally ruin it. The plot simply becomes too unbelievable to suspend your disbelief. And the ending is just a big disaster as far as movie endings go.

This film has to get it from the actors and the story. No shooting, speeding cars or supermans. Allthough there are some gaps in the scenario, the films is above the other serial killer movies. According to other comments the end is disappointing, I found the end plot rather original,surprising and making sense when you look back on the whole film.The actors act very sober but that makes the movie believable.