#DanisTanović

[doomonfilm]

Review : The Postcard Killings (2020)

What would the world of film be without suspense-filled, thrill-driven crime dramas?  From the days of film-noir to the modern-era shock films, this genre has always been one with plenty of room for anyone imaginative enough to set a story within its boundaries.  Often times, these films can be forgettable due to the sheer number of them that exists, but every once in a while, a little gem like The Postcard Killings finds its way on the scene and attempts to make waves, despite the competition.

New York detective Jacob Kanon (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) makes a grief-filled, revenge-based trip to Europe upon receiving the news that his daughter and her newlywed husband were found murdered.  Kanon attempts to work with the Scandinavian police, but due to a hesitation to share information, he is forced to seek out information elsewhere.  It is through the efforts of journalist Dessie Lombard (Cush Jumbo) that Kanon finds out about a pattern of postcards with quotes on them being sent to media shortly before bodies are discovered in those respective cities.  As Kanon digs deeper into different European police organizations in hopes of uncovering information, his wife Valerie (Famke Janssen) investigates stateside, with both hoping to find the key clue to unlock the mystery of their tragic loss.

Thriller films these days are a dime a dozen, so The Postcard Killings uses this very much to its benefit.  In a very clever way, the film lures you in with a very familiar narrative structure and look, leaving even dedicated viewers like myself at their wit’s end right before giving you the first bite of a twist in the narrative.  Rather than fully traversing the traditional route of a third act twist, however, the film opts for rolling the dice on a thematic killer concept that fuel injects interesting into the second half of the film.

In terms of the protagonist side of things, we get a more grounded view of the father-based revenge genre, with loads of believable hurt and frustration put center stage rather than opting for combat gimmicks and antics.  Much of the narrative tension is found while dwelling in the red tape and informational chess of police work than it is in DNA evidence and races against the clock, although the element of patterned killings does exist.  Several variations of love (and how it drives individual actions or motivations) are examined in their own ways while navigating the dark paths the film navigates.

The story is told in a snaking, slow-burn manner that holds its reveals very close to the chest for a solid half of the film, only to reward the viewer’s patience by ramping up the tone for the downhill portion.  Choosing famous paintings for the startling kill designs presents an air of sophistication to the mystery, despite the savage nature of the acts.  For the most part, however, this film is not breaking any new ground in the genre… more than anything, it stands as a good example of a tried and true film industry staple.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan brings the pain of loss right up to the edge of lacking control, and sets this in a position to prop up his years of work as a detective, creating a strange drive that captivates.  Famke Jansen turns raw pain into focused determination, making an impact via a satellite narrative that shakes the journey of Morgan’s Jacob Kanon portrayal.  Naomi Battrick and Ruairi O’Connor wield privilege and expectations into their energetic and kinetic performance, creating an equally interesting parallel drive to that of Morgan.  Joachim Król, Lukas Loughran and Eva Röse stand out in the pool of detectives, while Cush Jumbo brings an interesting nervous energy to the protagonist's side.  Denis O’Hare makes a brief but memorably offbeat appearance in one of the few roles allowed to indulge outside of the otherwise grounded manner of the film.  Appearances by Dylan Devonald Smith, Sallie Harmsen and Steven Mackintosh also stand out in this vast ensemble.

It’s hard to really talk about films like these without giving too much away, but if you’re a fan of the genre in general, I recommend giving this one a watch.  I doubt it will make any of my year-end lists, but that doesn’t disregard the fact that I found this one interesting after nearly cutting it off at the halfway point.