The Postcard Killings

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Matthew D Incredibly frustrating mystery that only gets solved by convenient clues out of nowhere. Director Danis Tanović’s crime mystery thriller The Postcard Killings (2020) is so stupid. It seems normal, but writers Liz Marklund and James Patterson just have random side characters talk to the detective with crucial information right at the end, so that he can figure out that the two killers are using pseudonyms. It even goes so far as to almost make a case for why incest should be normalized as a legitimate type of love. That is the villains’ perspectives, so take that with a grain of salt, but The Postcard Killings is incredibly dumb. Patterson always leans into formulaic murder mystery fare, but this one gets increasingly ridiculous and nonsensical, that it ruins all the suspense from the first two thirds of the movie. It skips around too much and I could hardly follow what was happening or who anyone was talking about with the scattershot editing. The Postcard Killings is a textbook example of how not to do storytelling because it will confuse the audience. American actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan is trying hard to be seriously invested and concerned as Jacob Kanon. Morgan is a great actor and has his compelling emotional moments here and adds some gravitas. However, he cannot entirely save a dull movie. He does nothing other than talk to a few investigators around Europe. Morgan must have gotten an easy vacation and paycheck for this because he’s given surprisingly little to do to solve this case. Dutch actress Famke Janssen is unrecognizable as Valerie Kanon and randomly solves the murderers’ backstories just on the side out of nowhere. British actress Cush Jumbo, yes that is her name, is so boring as journalist Dessie Lombard. She adds almost nothing here. German actor Joachim Król is interesting and engaging opposite Morgan as German Inspector Klaus Bublitz. English actor Steven Mackintosh is equally engaging as English Inspector Rupert Pearce until he mostly disappears. English actress Naomi Battrick seems charming, then just does a Mia Goth impression as Sylvia Randolph to be more strange. Irish actor Ruairi O'Connor is pretty passive and forgettable as Mac Randolph. American actor Denis O'Hare is very creepy and irritable as Simon Haysmith. Swedish actress Eva Röse is gorgeous as the strict Swedish police Detective Agneta Hoglund. I loved her here like Morgan, but she hardly helps the investigation. Dutch actor Dylan Devonald Smith does what he can to appear creepy as the odd traveler man Pieter, who meets the main couple alongside Dutch actress Sallie Harmsen as Nienke. Editor Sean Barton cuts all over the place between countries, time, and people, so I was thoroughly confused when and where we were watching. Cinematographer Salvatore Totino shoots The Postcard Killings like an NCIS episode. Rocky Evans’ lighting is standard with a bit of moody lighting and shadows here and there, but not enough for a dark crime mystery story like this one. Composer Simon Lacey’s music is not eerie, nor exciting enough for this narrative. Nigel Egerton’s costumes are very chic and modern at least. Overall, The Postcard Killings is not worth your time, not even as a fan of the cast or James Patterson’s writing. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/29/24 Full Review Christopher P Dreadful acting, dreadful movie. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/17/24 Full Review SR C Rate MA for "gore" is not an understatement. There is an interesting twist in the middle that I did not see coming. I enjoyed that! However, I loathe movies that end with a blatant invitation for a sequel. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/11/24 Full Review Emporess Majesty26 P This was so titillating and Erie to watch unfold. I enjoy seeing The lead play a more heroic character and it was believable ! Even more so , you never whom was the bad culprit/s. I enjoyed this and I totally recommend! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/24 Full Review Chadd J Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a fantastic actor, but his acting could not save this movie. The plot started off very interesting but the story got lost. It become very slow and very boring, I almost could not finish this movie. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/24 Full Review Pat T This movie held my attention to the very end. Jeffrey Dean Morgan was awesome. Since a great deal of the action was in foreign countries I was initially afraid that much of the dialog would be interpreted, which can be distracting, but it was minimal and didn't detract from my attention. Overall I enjoyed the movie very much. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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