7:30 PM, 20th May, 2021
Once the pride of the Los Angeles Police Department, Joe "Deke" Deacon (Denzel Washington) is now the burnt-out Deputy Sheriff of nearby Kern County. When he is sent to the city for what should have been a quick evidence-gathering assignment, he finds himself embroiled in a high-profile manhunt for a serial killer who has been terrorising the city.
After two long months of fruitless efforts, six victims, and no witnesses or evidence, media-savvy lead detective LAPD Sergeant Jim Baxter (Rami Malek) needs all the help that he can get and engages Deke's help. As they track the killer, Baxter soon becomes aware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, and uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.
It's hard to argue with a cast featuring no fewer than three Oscar winners – Washington, Malek and Jared Leto as a strange loner who becomes the prime suspect – and this 1990s-set mystery is a welcome throwback to the serial killer mysteries of old, with less focus on shiny tech and more on good, old-fashioned police work.