WasAnnon
Slow pace in the most part of the movie.
SpecialsTarget
Disturbing yet enthralling
Ariella Broughton
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
Fulke
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
sergepesic
" Murderous Intent" is, at least to this viewer, confusing and frustrating movie. The uneasy mix of thriller and horror, lacks the necessary ingredients of both to fully belong to either camp. The atmosphere of the whole set-up seems forced and contrived, like a staged version of the unfinished play.The characters are wavering, being neither here nor there, and, as it seems,false feeling of promise abandons us completely by the end of this movie. One of the most exciting actresses of today, Toni Collette has almost nothing to do in this film. She seems as incapable to figure out what is going on in this story as most of the viewers.
Chris Knipp
Watched this because Eddie Redmayne seemed interesting in 'Savage Grace' but the film was perfectly dreadful. This again, actually his first feature film, isn't in a genre I'm at all crazy about, but, far-fetched and derivative from various sources though it is,it's still quite good for what it is. The directing has some merit, the cast is fine, the tech package (to use the Variety jargon) is first rate, and it's clever of them to adopt a cold, pale look instead of the usual chiaroscuro for spooky horror stories and also to avoid an excess of gore. This is a supernatural murder conspiracy mystery for people who don't like such stuff.I am not of the opinion that Tom Sturridge is vastly inferior to Redmayne as some have said. The whole film would be a washout if that were true, since it's the unwilling symbiosis of the two youths that's the heart of the piece.An excellent "making of" with the US DVD package shows Tom and Eddie are friends in real life and points out that the chemistry was evident from the first moments of a screen test. Good use is made of the spooky waxen perfection of Sturfridge's face. Tony Collette is a very good actress but often appears in overwrought roles; here, she is admirably toned down and also helps keep the movie from getting too genre or too pumped-up. Roxburgh and all the others do very creditable work and one can appreciate newcomer writer-director Read's alertness and enthusiasm. The "making of" introduces us to the main crew members and cast in interviews that are brief but feel natural. It also does an interesting job of explaining how remarkably the filmmakers fulfilled the requirements of shooting half in Australia and half in England in two opposite seasons and totally unlike landscapes and making them blend seamlessly together.The final twist may seem just one more absurdity, but in the film's own terms it felt quite neat and right. The thing about Redmayne is, he has a chilly self-possession that is fascinating to watch in action. (In person he seems quite normal and pleasant.) It's quite worthwhile also to see somebody starring in a film about a public school who actually went to the preppiest English prep school of all, Eton. (Sturridge went to Winchester, which isn't far off.) I hope Redmayne's special talents and looks don't always lead him into films that are as campy or over-the-top as this and 'Savage Grace.' He seems to be "hot" now so he's going to have a chance to try different stuff. I'm curious to see how he does in two US productions,'The Yellow Handkerchief' and "Powder Blue.' Only time will tell if he gets good opportunities and makes good choices, but there's no doubt that he has something.
Claudio Carvalho
The forensic psychiatric Sally Rowe (Tony Collette) is called by Detective Martin Mackenzie (Richard Roxburgh) to analyze the profile of the teenager Alex Forbes (Eddie Redmayne), who was found in a train station holding the body of his schoolmate Nigel Colby (Tom Sturridge) and with powder in his hand. Alex discloses his relationship with Nigel, who believes that they were descendants of the Templar Knights, and how Nigel used the power of his mind to control him. Mackenzie believes that Alex is the killer, but Susan investigates the family of Nigel under pressure of Alex's father, and finds that all of them belong to an ancient and powerful secret society."Like Minds" is a boring and predictable movie. The character Alex is extremely intelligent, cult, cynical and psychopathic, therefore it is too obvious who the killer actually is. But the greatest problem of this screenplay is the development of the characters, which it is impossible to feel any sort of empathy for none of them with exception of Susan. In the end, it does not matter if the criminal is Nigel, Alex, his father, Mackenzie or whoever, since all of them are absolutely unpleasant. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "Mentes Diabólicas" ("Evil Minds")
JonathanDent48
The film starts out very simple, a dead body and a kid as the most likely suspect. Toni Collette plays a psychologist trying to get an idea of whether or not he is guilty. The rest of the film is told in flashback, starting with Alex, the kid suspected, being introduced to the world of Nigel, his new roommate, who believes that he is something more than what people see him as, and he wonders if Alex may be a part of it. From there, the events leading up to Nigel's death is unraveled, leading up to the final climatic ending.This film tries to do what several successful films have done in the past by posing a semi-twist ending. Unfortunately it falls a little short of getting there, and becoming more of an open-ended film to think about, open to your own interpretation.