Like Minds (2006)

Thanks for the memories!

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Fantastic!

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

I saw this movie on the BBC once, a while back. This is a translation of my original review in Dutch, but with one adjustment: I mentioned that Eddie Redmayne was an actor to look out for, but by now, well, you know. Here's the rest of it;The ending wasn't unclear to me, contrary to some reviews I've read (elsewhere, not on IMDb), and so, this, to me, is the sort of 'thriller with a twist' like 'Primal fear'. The problem is that the director thought he could fool me, yet he drops a couple of hints that are just too obvious...Then, a long disquisition follows, which, admittedly, drew me into a doubtful corner here and there, but in the end... That whole story about Nigel (and the knights templar, for instance) becomes irrelevant at the drop of a hat and Alex turns out to be that cold blooded serial killer, on the lookout for a next victim.Not a bad film at all, really, with some fine acting and it is at times cinematically very pleasing, but I had expected a little more, especially on the deeper level.A good 6 out of 10 seems in order.

It's been an hour ago since I've seen this movie. Brilliant actors, magnificent cinematography and a very intense, creepy, dark film…and I love it. I still don't get it, but what the heck. That's what makes it stand out; it makes you think and creeps you in a very absurd way.I was in my normal movie mood day when I saw this DVD in blockbuster and to my surprise, it was a treasure.Eddie Redmayne (Alex) is a fine actor who doesn't need an Oscar to be remembered. His facial expressions and subtle performance in this work of art are good reasons why this film is one of my favorites to date. The headmaster's (Patrick Malahide) and Alex's confrontation scene is staggering; the acting tremendously surpasses the dialogue between Father and son.Toni Collete is a fine actress but she's okay in this film. I guess, she gave what was called for in her character.Like Eddie, Tom Sturridge found his niche in the entertainment scene in this film. He was the other half of the movie. His tenuous act in this movie is very evident in its entirety and a job well done for the makeup artist involved. His innocent-pale-boyish-appearance makes his character more believable and it wouldn't be realistic enough without the help of the staff and crew who made him the heartless and fearless Nigel.Murderous Intent is a must see for audience who are tired of commercially-driven films. Nigel made a lifetime mark on Alex's life and so much so with the moviegoers 'coz I can get off this movie out of my mind. I need to see it again before the end of this week to figure out what really happened, when it happened and who did it.

The forensic psychiatric Sally Rowe (Tony Collette) is called by Detective Martin Mackenzie (Richard Roxburgh) to analyze the profile of the teenager Alex Forbes (Eddie Redmayne), who was found in a train station holding the body of his schoolmate Nigel Colby (Tom Sturridge) and with powder in his hand. Alex discloses his relationship with Nigel, who believes that they were descendants of the Templar Knights, and how Nigel used the power of his mind to control him. Mackenzie believes that Alex is the killer, but Susan investigates the family of Nigel under pressure of Alex's father, and finds that all of them belong to an ancient and powerful secret society."Like Minds" is a boring and predictable movie. The character Alex is extremely intelligent, cult, cynical and psychopathic, therefore it is too obvious who the killer actually is. But the greatest problem of this screenplay is the development of the characters, which it is impossible to feel any sort of empathy for none of them with exception of Susan. In the end, it does not matter if the criminal is Nigel, Alex, his father, Mackenzie or whoever, since all of them are absolutely unpleasant. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "Mentes Diabólicas" ("Evil Minds")

"Like minds" starts out from a very interesting and engaging premise, whereby we find the 17-year-old Alex charged with shooting his classmate Nigel dead. The police detective in charge of the case (Richard Roxburgh) firmly believes Alex is a psychopath, and asks psychologist Sally Rowe (Toni Collette) to interview him and try to get a confession from him. But Alex is a smart, mysterious and secretive kid, and Sally will quickly be intrigued enough to get personally involved in the case. Little by little, we'll find out there's much more to Nigel's death than the gunshot incident, since Alex will tell Sally that Nigel had, and still has, some strange and powerful form of mental influence on him.The movie starts out well, but quickly goes downhill, and fast, up to a crashing finale. The first few sequences aside, it never manages to offer anything remotely close to suspense or thrill, even though you can tell it tries hard. The characters are only barely written, and, despite the writers' efforts, Alex and Nigel are little more than the stereotypical teen thriller weirdos with little depth to them. The movie fails at every thing it attempts to be: a psychological study of characters, an "original" thriller involving teenagers, a drama about teen angst in a hostile world... you name it. There are bits and pieces of all those subgenres, but the movie just goes nowhere, and does so at a killing slow pace.I give this movie three stars because it has such good actors as Richard Roxburgh and Toni Collette (although neither is at their best here), because of the settings (very somber and well made; too bad the story wasn't at par with them) and because the idea was good.