In The Shadow of the Moon is a 2019 thriller about a police officer who struggles with a lifelong obsession to track down a mysterious serial killer.
In 1988, on a quiet night in Philadelphia, three deaths shock those who witness them, that of a bus driver, a concert pianist, and a fry cook. Weirdly, they all happen near the same time, and in the same strange way, baffling investigators, though uniformed cops Thomas Lockhart (Boyd Holbrook) and his partner (Bokeem Woodbine) track down a suspect, a young black woman in a blue hoodie (Cleopatra Coleman), who seems to know a lot about Thomas, including that he has a pregnant wife. However, it’s only the start of a number of encounters between the killer and the Thomas, one that will last for decades into the future … even though he apparently killed her the night they met.
Beginning with a shot that opens in 2024, where things are not going well for the city of Brotherly Love, we jump back in time to get the story started proper, one that has a number of pots simmering on the stove. Director Jim Mickle‘s latest effort isn’t lacking style, mixing a few genres together in a fast-paced mystery that feels like it’s adapted from a graphic novel, in a good way, with attention to detail and feeling that it’s reaching out to a specific audience. It never really come across all that authentic yet maintains a sort of colorful plausibility to it that smacks of comic book mentality with dedication to bringing it to life. It works hard for that with standout production design and adrenaline-pumping direction.
Still, despite the clever, if not familiar time jumping killer aspect, In The Shadow Of The Moon is held together by its cast, especially Holbrook, who is very convincing, along with just about everyone else, in playing out the illogical with some genuine depth. This would seem at first glance to be a superficial shoot ’em up with all the pieces in place for such, but screenwriters Gregory Weidman and Geoffrey Tock have more in store with this than it almost deserves, filling in the gaps with plenty of personality, humanity, and solid story hooks, including some topical jabs at the police and race (though not entirely played out to its rightful end).
Either way, In The Shadow Of The Moon is never not interesting, the questions it keeps posing smart and fun to keep up with, even if we might be a step or two ahead of those in the middle of it. Again, that’s because we care about Thomas and the circle of madness that year-by-year slowly consumes him. Sure, things tend to repeat and the plot gets stuck in its own loophole but it always manages to regain momentum in time to earn its way, leading to a curious ending that makes for a satisfying twist.
There are a lot of good ideas in all this and kudos go to Mickle for the commitment, this an unusual little flick that gets far more right than wrong. It tries spinning something new from something old and while some might not get on board with its ambition or its melodramatic caveats, those clamoring for something off the beaten track will find it here. Recommended.