DVD Review: Mindhunters
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::Movie review
Movies like Mindhunters are maddening to review. On the one hand, there are some effectively entertaining elements in this film; on the other hand, the characters depressingly lame-brained.
Mindhunters centers on a group of FBI agents who aspire to become profilers. Profilers are special agents who specifically study serial killers and other difficult criminals. The idea is that by learning as much as possible about the psychology of these people, the profilers will be able to better anticipate how to catch them.
Profilers tend to be unusually intelligent and highly creative, qualities the agents in Mindhunters seem to be missing.
The lead instructor of this group of agents is Jake Harris, played by Val Kilmer. In an early scene, he tells his students, "you're here because you're smart, but my job is to make you smarter." This is an odd thing to say because we're given the impression that these agents have already reached the end of their training and await only "one final test." Perhaps if Harris had made them smarter earlier in their training, then this film wouldn't have gone so horribly wrong.
The final test I mentioned involves dropping the agents onto a remote island that has been specifically built into a military and FBI training ground. They are told that they will spend the weekend on the island, during which time a murder will be committed. By the end of the weekend, the agents must have processed the crime scene and come up with a viable profile of the killer.
In the quasi-lead of this merry band of agents is J.D. (Christian Slater), who is the self-assured know-it-all. Other agents include: Sara Moore (Kathryn Morris), the woman with something to prove, and who is afraid of water; Vince Sherman (Clifton Collins, Jr.), who is crippled and won't go anywhere without a gun; Nicole Willis (Patricia Velasquez), the other female agent with something to prove, and who just quit smoking; Gabe Jensen (LL Cool J), the cop sent to spy on the agents; and so on. There are more, but the point is that each of them has a very distinct character trait and if you don't think each trait will become vitally important, then you need to study up more on formulaic movies.
Shortly after arriving on the island, a real murder is committed when one of the agents is killed. And then another is killed, and so on. It becomes clear that the intent is to kill off all of the agents, unless those who remain can solve the mystery. Unfortunately, there is very little chance of this as the remaining agents are at once universally inept and single-mindedly focused on fighting with each other.
Perhaps Mindhunters wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the fact that the murders are so preposterous. Take, for example, the first: An agent is attacked by helium gas that super-cools him to the point where he shatters like glass. Think about this for a moment. When was the last time a helium balloon popped and gave you frostbite? And would this trap have worked if the victim had been standing just a foot off his mark (or, for that matter, had the sense to simply step out of the way when he first felt a chill)?
[As a side note, I'm pretty sure that the gas was intended to be nitrogen. However, the label on the tank clearly reads "helium." For that matter, even nitrogen gas would not have produced the effect in the film -- at least not with the victim standing several feet away.]
Films like this require a suspension of disbelief in order to work, but Mindhunters requires a total lack of disbelief (not to mention a lack of basic high school physics). Still, the characters seem so earnest, even in the midst of their most terrible blunders, that it's hard not to root for them. And the reveal of the killer is an effective surprise, if for no other reason than because the film offers absolutely no clues about his/her identity (except for one brief moment where the killer could not have possibly experienced what everyone else did – but I'll leave that for you to discover).
I'll leave you with one final, absurd note, because this is what I thought about as the end credits rolled: Every trap in the film required a massive amount of planning (not to mention that they each required impeccable timing). Since this all happens on a joint military/FBI training island that is complete with surveillance everywhere, how is it the killer managed to set all of this up?
::Video
There aren't a ton of extras on this disc, which leaves plenty of room for the picture. This is good, because most of the film takes place in murky, dark rooms, which traditionally cause compression nightmares.
Overall, the picture is pretty clean. Colors are decent, if muted (by intent, I assume), and the contrasts are good and sharp. I noticed no compression errors and very minor edge enhancement.
::Audio
Probably the best part of this disc is the audio presentation. Very good use is made of the surround speakers in order to help enhance the mood and overall spookiness of the environments. Noises dart around the sound field and the audio "scare cues" are suitably jump-worthy. In fact, the emersive quality of the sound is probably what helps to make this film even slightly enjoyable.
::Special Features
There are a handful of extras on this disc, beginning with a feature length commentary by director Renny Harlin. Harlin has been in this business for some time, and he is no stranger to audio commentaries, so his approach is straightforward and enjoyable. He rarely falls into the trap of simply describing what is on screen, and instead makes sure to offer a number of good bits of information about the process of filmmaking. This commentary is immeasurably better than the film it discusses.
The remaining extras take the form of three featurettes that combine for about 14 minutes worth of material. They border on EPK (Electronic press Kit -- or otherwise known as promotional fluff), yet at the same time come dangerously close to spoiling the ending the film, so it's best to save these for after you've watched the film. The three featurettes are: Profiling Mindhunters, Stunt Sequence, and A Director's Walk Through Crimetown.
::Bottom Line
It's my understanding that Mindhunters was sort of an on-again, off-again project that got caught in the Miramax and Dimension fiasco when Miramax split from Disney. As a result, this film sat on the shelves and was reworked a bit before finally being released in 2005. Regardless, the film suffers from the problem of being too clever for its own good by creating a plot that can't possibly happen. While entertaining, I'm afraid that it just can't overcome the absurdities.
Buy Mindhunters at DVDEmpire.com
| Movie |  |
2.5 / 5 |
| Video | |
4 / 5 |
| Audio | |
4 / 5 |
| Extras | |
3.5 / 5 |
| Family Friendly | 0 / 5 | |
| Violence and sexual content make this one a decidedly non-family film. | ||
| Overall | |
2.5 / 5 |
- Robert Wurth, ©2005
::Technical Specs
Studio:
Dimension Home Entertainment
Year of Theatrical Release:
2005
Disc Format:
1 single-sided, Dual Layer
Image Format:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1
Region Encoding:
1 (North America)
Sound Format:
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 (pro logic)
Running Time:
106 minutes
Director:
Renny Harlin
Stars:
Christan Slater, Val Kilmer, Kathryn Morris, LL Cool J
MPAA Rating:
R
Disc Supplements:
- Commentary with director Renny Harlin
- Profiling Mindhunters
- Stunt Sequence
- "A Director's Walk Through Crimetown" featurette
