In the Shadow of the Moon

Jim Mickle, director of Stake Land and Cold in July, has once again delighted me by making an original thriller with a serial killer who returns every nine years. The main character, played by Boyd Holbrook (Narcos, The Predator), is a detective who has been searching for a mysterious killer his whole life, but finding out the truth many times can cost his career, his job and his own sanity. The film has a perfect soundtrack, a decent pace, nice cinematography, some thrilling chases and a bit of blood. Decent craftsmanship with nice visuals and atmosphere, and even though no one will probably remember it in a year I really enjoyed it. 70% (10/10/2019)

While watching the film, I kept expecting something to truly surprise me, to really blow me away like a little kid, but that moment never came. The film starts off with a strong atmosphere, portraying the 80s credibly (except for the aerial shots where you see modern cars, which I didn’t understand how they missed that). I was a bit worried that Boyd Holbrook, as the main character, wouldn’t hold up, but in the end, he was the main beacon that kept the film afloat. The visuals are above average; you can see the substantial amount Netflix invested in it. Everything looks good, but the story is quite B-grade. As some reviewers have mentioned, with each passing 9 years, the script became more and more of a sieve; the creators tried to shock us but somehow forgot that everything they throw at us needs to be properly explained by the end. Sure, they tried, but the WOW effect didn’t materialize. Unfortunately. But for the first half-hour, the gritty visuals, and the performances, I’ll give it a slightly above-average 60%. The rating on this site is just right. (07/20/2020)

Oh my gosh, I haven’t seen so many 3-star ratings in average for a mysterious thriller in a long time. On the other hand it is no wonder because what the director is doing in this movie is just insane. The screenplay of this movie is a totally crazy trip. Weird things are happening and the timeline doesn’t have any continuity. But to the director’s defense I have to say that the filmmaking craftsmanship is apparent there. That’s why I didn’t have a problem to finish this movie and to admit that for a movie of this genre it is at quite a high technical level. (12/28/2019)

A time-travel chase movie just like I like them, with a quality cast and an intriguing plot in the style of Predestination. If you know the rules of the genre, you will probably appreciate the quality atmosphere. Mickle’s individual style gives it a Terminator-like stamp of reality. The synthesizer soundtrack is good to hear, and it's good to see Dexter in one of the supporting roles. The concept of killing thoughts in their incipient stage is cool, but also very dangerous. Who is going to determine what is ok to think and what isn’t? (09/28/2019)