I had high hopes for this movie which got released last Friday. I’m a huge fan of Rami Malek, and with 3 Academy Award Winners leading the cast you’d think it might just be a decent movie. Eh, I thought wrong.

Denzel shines, but I think anyone in his role would have stood out for the sake of the story line given to the character. He plays a cop who was once an investigator. It isn’t immediately revealed why he’s taken a step down but we eventually find out. Rami plays his replacement who now has several murders stacking up and lets Denzel assist with the case. Leto, once again, steps into the creepy bad guy role, but other than just being creepy and toying with Rami and Denzel, there isn’t much more to it. His best parts are all in the trailer for the film.

Rami is kinda stiff as the lead investigator. Just another tough guy intent on finding a missing person and saving lives and catching the bad guy. He’s not likable. He has not back story. Instead, the camera focuses more on Denzel and his obsession with catching the killer which is the best part of the film.

Sadly, the three leads stand around waiting for something to happen, and so does the viewer. It all gets revealed in a quick five minutes near the end with some good “A-ha!” moments you never saw coming, and some mysteries left unsolved, but it’s not enough to save the film because you’ve been sitting there for an hour and half already waiting for something to happen.

This movie could have been the next Silence of the Lambs. It could have even been the next Se7en (there’s even a long uncomfortable drive out to the desert). It could have been the next film, like those, that I will watch over and over, and obsess over, and think about, and quote for years to come. But it’s not any of those things. It has one big thing that could have made it one of those films, but it’s missing too many little things that could have made it so much better.