David Fincher’s deal with Netflix has not always yielded the fanfare he was accustomed to with theatrical releases, but some ventures produced the best thrillers of all time. Crime has been a brand that works for the director, going back as far as the ‘90s. Adaptations have been in Fincher’s sweet spot, gaining appreciation for thrillers such as Zodiac and Gone Girl. He reaches even greater heights in the television world.
Fincher used his considerable talents to bring John E. Douglas’ autobiographical book, Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, to Netflix. The result was Mindhunter, arguably one of the most celebrated original series from the streaming platform. It was also the series that broke fans’ hearts the most. Typical of Fincher’s style, Mindhunter was visually glossy while emotionally gritty. It had everything going for it, which made it all the more heartbreaking when it was pushed into Netflix limbo after two seasons.
‘Mindhunter’ Was Prestige Television at Its Best
Mindhunter had the unfortunate luck of premiering on Netflix. On any other platform, it may have reached the audience it needed to. Though the crime series has a loyal fan base, the viewership wasn’t enough for the streamer to justify its budget. For two seasons, however, Mindhunter redefined what fans could expect from a true crime series.
The show was a heightened interpretation of John E. Douglas’ book, while also strikingly close to reality. Jonathan Groff stars as Holden Ford, the fictionalized version of Douglas, who was a significant part of creating the psychological profiling department of the FBI. A hostage negotiator for the Bureau, Holden becomes dismayed at how crime in the modern era has become so grim. The rise of serial and spree killers baffles law enforcement, which leads Holden to collaborate with Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) in creating a new way of catching killers. With the help of Dr. Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), the team decides to interview convicted killers to create a psychological profile. The Silence of the Lambs writer, Thomas Harris, used Douglas as inspiration for his FBI director character, Jack Crawford.
Mindhunter takes this a step further and grounds the story in reality. The first season portrays the creation of the FBI profiling program and the real killers they interview. Edmund Kemper, Jerry Brudos, and David Berkowitz were some of the many real-life figures who were brought to life with harrowing accuracy. Holden risks a lot to get close to these killers — closer than anyone ever had before. Mindhunter examines how dangerously close Holden gets to these people, particularly Kemper, who acts as a terrifying foil for the FBI agent.
The series resists sensationalizing true crime as so many series have before. Instead, it focuses on ethical and character-driven dilemmas as the profilers enter a new world of crime that is more intense than it has been before. Mindhunter isn’t about putting killers on a pedestal. It shows them unflinchingly, which doesn’t elevate them but demonstrates what monsters they are. The authentic emotion and hyperrealism made Mindhunter unlike anything before, and it has not been replicated since.
- Release Date
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2017 – 2019
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Joe Penhall
