Excellent adaptation.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

it was 2 am and this came on cinemax and as i am ridiculously intrigued by serial-kiler movies i had to watch this, saying i'd turn it off after a few minutes. well, that didnt happen. the thing that made me want to watch this wasn't to find out who the killer was, after a while i lost interest in that, but WHY they were doing it. the whole religious aspect was creepy from the beginning b/c an exceptionally nice priest is killed and a tape is left behind with the killer screaming in Latin, "if you're you so powerful why don't you stop me?". it sets this really creepy tone for the killer and you want to know what this guy's religious hang-ups are. the suspense of that is quite well done. as far as acting goes, i was pleasantly surprised by some of it. i think mc carthy can be quite good with the right material and even though this is straight to video fare, he's actually worth watching. of course, some of the dialogue really needs to go and a subplot involving the captain's dead son and mc carthy's guilt really was unncessary, but his persona as a detective worked well. you wont even remember that this was the skinny guy who played Blaine (a household appliance of a name, according to Ducky) in Pretty in Pink. mc carthy's interactions with his partner leave you with some memorable lines and their time together makes the film amusing. however, michael ironside is so wooden in his role that it drags the thing on slowly. at times he's ok, but not when its necessary to show true emotion. his scenes in the finale are painful to watch for the wrong reasons. mc carthy's wife wasnt played with much force, and either were some of the supporting characters with the exception of the woman with "perfect faith" who works for the church. at first mc carthy's atheist character seemed to have this point simply for the plot but at the end, i feel that the change in his beliefs will feel deserved by the audience. overall- the scenes of the city at night will seem like they are taken out of a movie from 1983 rather than 1999 and were a bit cheesy. the set could have needed a bit more lighting (this film can not try to be on par with the deservedly gloomy Seven). the "why" behind the killer's actions was ok, definitely a little creepy but yet i really got annoyed by the old woman mc carthy talks to who gives the audience this information. who the hell was she? and why did she have such a ridiculously overdone accent?i think that the movie is worthwhile if you want to see mc carthy in a role he isnt' typically known for and if you want a creepy movie that isnt TOO creepy a la Seven. i didnt see the video box like the above viewer did but i still want to hear what anyone else thought about this film. its obviously B movie stuff but if a more enlivened actor would have played the killer i think it could have been good. mc carthy gave his character his best shot, i think.

Patrick Dempsey has proven himself to be a good actor in adult roles. I only hope his he gets better vehicles than this one. He portrays a police detective on the hunt for a serial killer. Oh when have we seen this before- a few too many times for me. Apparently the video box gives away the ending, BUT I knew who the killer was the first time he appeared. Micheal Ironside play a super rich, newspaper publisher. Need I say more.I can only recommend this film as part of a double feature. I can only give this a **1/2 ratingas alwaysJay Harris

I taped this off one of the cable channels (listed as "Beyond Redemption") during the wee hours and finally watched it about a week later. Thus, I did not have the ending ruined by the tape box, though it mattered little as the plot points were heavily telegraphed and it didn't take much effort to guess the likely outcome. I found aspects of it interesting, such as the detective's relationship with his troubled brother, his coping with his daughter's illness, and particularly his uncertainty regarding whether he could muster any faith in life. However, I didn't find the major red herring convincing, and the minor red herrings were too implausible to divert, so I was left mainly reflecting on the motivations of the main character which was a rather deadpan character. Overall, I give it a 5 out of 10, and would only recommend it to those who catch it on a slow night or those who are die hard fans of Andrew McCarthy or "detective chasing serial killer" flicks. Having a church as one of the crime scenes (quite early in the film, this is not a spoiler) may also be seen by some as disturing or inappropriate.

I enjoyed the film, and the fact that it aimed rather high in dealing with some sophisticated material. I saw the film in a preview screening, and it wasn't ruined by any silly video boxes that spoiled the ending. The performances were quite good, especially Andrew McCarthy in a more mature roll. I also enjoyed the look of the film which gave it a mysterious, forboding air. I also enjoyed some of the "twists" in the plot, and don't want to give too much away in case other countries' video boxes don't give it all away! The script was a little over the top at times, but I appreciated the fact that the film-makers weren't afraid to challenge the audiences with interesting and puzzling questisons regarding the roll of faith in our world. And, while some might find the ending a little too open-ended, I appreciated the fact that the movie refused to tie everything up neatly with a bow. That's not how life works.