Darkness Falls (2020) | Film Review

Serial killer thrillers are in short supply these days. For all of our superheroes, mechanics zipping around in fast cars and gigantic robots threatening global domination, movies seemed to have forgotten about the sheer joy of a rogue cop hunting down a sadistic predator. Darkness Falls aims to correct that slight.

Detective Jeff Anderson (Shawn Ashmore) has it all: loving wife, adoring son, a job with nothing but upside. It doesn’t take long before tragedy strikes and his wife is found dead, seemingly having committed suicide. What Jeff doesn’t know – though the audience does from the harrowing opening where we witness her demise – is that Mrs. Anderson was the victim of a rather sinister father-son team of serial killers (Gary Cole and The 100’s Richard Harmon).

Jeff swiftly puts the pieces together, and after an obsessive several months, is now on the hunt for the elusive pair. Jeff’s mother (Lin Shaye) cares for his son, and his former partner (Daniella Alonso) moves into his promotion as Captain, all while Jeff casts everything else aside in order to bring his wife’s murderers to justice.

Shawn Ashmore does a fine job in the lead, steadily building Jeff’s inherent internal demise, though several story leaps truly detract from completely giving ourselves over to the character (really, would ANY Captain ever let her mentally unstable detective interrogate the prime suspect of his wife’s murder?). As Jeff peruses every suicide call that comes across his radio, it’s painfully obvious this is an officer unfit for duty, yet we continually witness Jeff be given yet another chance and it does detract from the investment needed to believe in this scenario.

As for the father-son team, Richard Harmon has been the bright spot in The 100, and it is fun to watch him get his hands dirty here as a sociopath on a mission. Gary Cole – one of the most underappreciated actors of his generation – utilizes his effortless charm in any scene he’s part of, though sadly his screen time is severely limited. A full film of following these two might have made for a compelling alternative narrative.

Director Julien Seri and screenwriter Giles Daoust aim to bring back the vibes of films like Seven through Jeff’s hungry pursuit of payback. There are moments when elements of that goal deliver, including an incredibly tense stand-off as Jeff seeks to confront the killers on-site. As the film rolls into its final act, the story succumbs to far too many logistical leaps, and ultimately misses its admittedly bold mark.

Despite questionable story choices, Darkness Falls remains an entertaining enough venture with a fascinating serial killer setup. While not quite hitting the heights of Seven, it ultimately satisfies.