The Alphabet Killer (2008)

A pre-teen turns up dead after being abducted and raped in New York. Detective Eliza Dushku plays  Rochester, New York police detective Megan Paige who is assigned to the case. Paige soon becomes totally obsessed to the point that she is seeing visions of the dead girl. She quickly puts together the theory that the girl's first name and last name both start with the same letter. This also explains the distracting opening credits of the movie. The FBI says this was a drifter who killed and moved-on but Paige thinks it's the start of a local serial killer. Soon a second murder matching the same pattern all the way down to the matching first and last initials of the victim occurs. Paige's peers start to believe her theories but she becomes further obsessed to the point of insomnia and psychosis. With the help of therapy and medication she is able to again return to work after a hospital stay. Another murder occurs just in time for her return. Will they be able to find the killer before he kills again? Isn't that always the question in these movies? The film also features Michael Ironside as a nearby town's sherriff, Timothy Hutton as a friend Paige meets in therapy and Cary Elwes as Paige's boyfriend / boss.

The film is very cheesy and predictable. Every cliche' ever used in a murder-mystery or a police movie is used in this movie. One of the only redeeming parts of the film occurs at 1 hour and 18 minutes when we get some quick celebrity skin (not Elwes, Hutton or Ironside thankfully). I like Dushku as an actress from time to time though she tends to overact (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) She is not good in this film except at 1 hour and 18 minutes. Elwes was fun in Princess Bride but he overacts in this film as well. Ironside is Ironside and Hutton had a tough act to follow after Ordinary People. The only minor redeeming quality is that is based on a true story though I doubt the real people overacted this much. Bottom line is that I took a serial killer's bullet for you so you could live without ever having to see this film. Avoid this film at all cost; your sanity may depend on it.