Mindhunter (2017)

Watchseries; I read the book by John Douglas (who consults to the show) some years ago...twice. Every now and then I get a memory or part of the book come back to me. This is very close to how I'd imagine the book made into a series - not a movie would look. For those that want a nicely tied up story each episode or answers for everything, you won't find it here.

The description is only partially right, this is about the development of the unit within the FBI that would eventually concentrate on serial killers and develop profiles for the offenders. For them to do this they had to interview thousands of serial murderers and find out how they clicked, their drivers and motivations. This was new ground with untested theories and often against the FBI's own protocol. So, mistakes were made, lines were over stepped and they didn't always get it right.

The two main characters play their parts well, I thought. Often bumbling about, arguing and unsure of what they are doing. I notice some reviewers mistake this for wooden acting and aren't able to like the characters, yet in my mind it works well. You have to remember this is set in the early 70s, so even the title 'serial killer' wasn't coined yet. Instead they called it 'sequence killer'. They were up against old thinking where even the mention of colloquial or slang terms for penis etc. were frowned on by the FBI.

It is unfortunate that some of the reviewers have treated this like a typical Hollywood cop or CSI show. Everything has to be laid out for them and they want some clever theorising and a nice tidy ending. Where as the story is in the journey, not the result. Hang in for the long haul, it's well worth it.

The only unfortunate piece for me is the lead's name 'Holden Ford'. If you are an Australian or NZer you will understand. Makes me cringe every time his name is said in full. Anna Torv makes a welcome member of the cast and gives it a nice air of sophistication.

It's a solid 9 for me.

I read the book by John Douglas (who consults to the show) some years ago...twice. Every now and then I get a memory or part of the book come back to me. This is very close to how I'd imagine the book made into a series - not a movie would look. For those that want a nicely tied up story each episode or answers for everything, you won't find it here.

The description is only partially right, this is about the development of the unit within the FBI that would eventually concentrate on serial killers and develop profiles for the offenders. For them to do this they had to interview thousands of serial murderers and find out how they clicked, their drivers and motivations. This was new ground with untested theories and often against the FBI's own protocol. So, mistakes were made, lines were over stepped and they didn't always get it right.

The two main characters play their parts well, I thought. Often bumbling about, arguing and unsure of what they are doing. I notice some reviewers mistake this for wooden acting and aren't able to like the characters, yet in my mind it works well. You have to remember this is set in the early 70s, so even the title 'serial killer' wasn't coined yet. Instead they called it 'sequence killer'. They were up against old thinking where even the mention of colloquial or slang terms for penis etc. were frowned on by the FBI.

It is unfortunate that some of the reviewers have treated this like a typical Hollywood cop or CSI show. Everything has to be laid out for them and they want some clever theorising and a nice tidy ending. Where as the story is in the journey, not the result. Hang in for the long haul, it's well worth it.

The only unfortunate piece for me is the lead's name 'Holden Ford'. If you are an Australian or NZer you will understand. Makes me cringe every time his name is said in full. Anna Torv makes a welcome member of the cast and gives it a nice air of sophistication.

It's a solid 9 for me.

Mindhunter watchseries. Loved the feel of this new series. Intelligent and slow burning. Totally absorbing. I thought the two main characters were very well observed and portrayed. They fit well together and are a partnership that will stand the test of time, in my opinion. The period is well represented with excellently placed contemporary music.

I'm spoiled for good quality TV shows that are intriguing and make me think while entertaining along the way. So many shows I watch the first episode and can't even get through it because its so predictable or cookie cutter. I'm excited I've found a new one to enjoy. And even though it is set in the 70s, its very relevant for today. Crazy takes on many forms. Back then it was "sequence killers" prior to term "serial killer" being used. Today its crazy mass shooters. I love Ford's desire to learn. I've watched 2 episodes and looking forward to the rest. And BTW the soundtrack is amazing!

Mindhunter is a 10 episode series on N'flix that hits a home run with me. First of all, David Fincher can do no wrong in my eyes, blending trance-like music with scenes that are unforgettable. He does this a few times and my goodness he's the master at it. Every scene, every line...well-constructed and nothing wasted.

Mindhunter gets into your head very quickly and not only for the content, but for the era it is held in. If you weren't born in the 70's, that's OK because the producers here have done a masterful job in recreating America in that decade. I honestly don't know how they did it scene after scene.

Mindhunter is a series where each character leaves an indelible mark on your psyche. The content is deep and makes you wonder. Don't forget to hug mom. I give it a 10 on the "bingeable" meter.

Two episodes in and I'm already hooked. Technically speaking, this series is very good (it's directed by David Fincher, of course it's good) and it stays true (so far) to the real-life crimes it was based on. I can't say the same for the characters, and how close they are to the people who really did this work, but considering their names are different and the book they adapted wasn't some sort of biography, most of their personal (love) lives must be fictitious or at least overtly dramatized.

You see, this series here isn't some kind of good cop, bad cop chase villains and shoot and explode a lot of stuff and at the end of the day (or episode) they go back to their wives and sleep like babies. No. There are way too many series like that, so search elsewhere if that's what you want, because you won't find that here.

Mindhunter is slow. Very slow. At first it might look like an simple thriller but actually it tells the story of two FBI agents in their pursuit to, as very precisely said by Holt McCallany's character, "understand how crazy thinks". But that doesn't come easily. Crazy is crazy. You gotta be crazy to understand crazy. But that doesn't stop naïve Holden Ford from interviewing the most despicable real-life psychopaths alive in America in the late 70's to develop the ideas that will become the tenets of the criminal profiling system.

As I said before, Mindhunter is directed by David Fincher, and as expected from his work, it's impeccable, both pacing and cinematography are top-notch. At the end of the episode you will be like "wait, that's it?" as the credits roll and the song keeps playing like the story is still going on. And somehow you are watching the next episode.

Writing and dialogue are great too. All very natural and haunting. Damn psychos could very much be the real ones. And that gets me to the acting, from what I've seen there's enough to say it's fantastic. The characters are brought to life by the actors. Also, the chemistry between characters Holden Ford and Bill Tench is incredibly real and sometimes, even through the bleakness of their work's nature, hilarious.

To finish off, I'll just say the biggest review cliché: Mindhunter is not for everyone. I know you know everyone says it, but it's truer in this case. If my review and the trailer got your attention, you gotta watch it. If it didn't, you'll probably hate Mindhunter. That's how it goes.

After reading some reviews I've come to the conclusion some reviewers should stick to game shows. I found this show to be smart, not once did I have a moment where I knew what was going to happen. The storyline, characters, and integration scenarios had my attention from the beginning to the end. I look forward to a season 2!