As a general rule of thumb, we’re a fairly grisly and morbid bunch, which is one of the key reasons why fictional and true-life content revolving around serial killers has proven to be so reliably and consistently popular.
For the latest example, we needn’t look further than the Prime Video viewership rankings, which sees overlooked 2020 effort The Postcard Killings sitting pretty as the 11th most-watched movie on the platform around the world, as per FlixPatrol.
Is it any good, though? Well, no, not really. Despite being based on popular novel The Postcard Killers by Liza Marklund and genre veteran James Patterson, the adaptation is flat and listless. If you’ve seen even a couple of murderous mysteries in your time, then you won’t find many surprises throughout the 104-minute running time.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the dogged New York City detective investigating the murder of his daughter while on her honeymoon in London, which soon finds him dragged into something altogether murkier and more terrifying. Partnering up with a journalist based in Sweden, the duo discover a connection that ties together a string of grisly deaths across Europe, forcing them to try and put an end to the spree once and for all.
A 25% Rotten Tomatoes score and 37% user rating paints the picture of a very derivative and familiar film, one that really only appeals to the diehard fans of the serial killer oeuvre. Morgan is solid doing his usual grizzled hangdog shtick, but everything else has been seen and done before, to death no less.
