Serial Killer 1

As a fitting addition to the popular fascination with forensic crime dramas, the French deliver a film about a serial killer in which no actual onscreen violence takes place. The gory details of the killings here are conveyed through a scientific lens, and the focus is more about the painstaking process involved in uncovering proof (early DNA testing, in this case) identifying the culprit. Directed by Frédéric Tellier, the title refers to the first serial killer caught in France through DNA testing in the 1990s, one Guy Georges, who was responsible for a spate of violent rapes and murders and was finally convicted following an extended and contentious trial. Viewer enjoyment will depend on one's patience for following the inner-workings of modern criminal investigations, as well as the day-to-day operations of the police department and the French high court. Serial Killer 1 doesn't delve into the inner lives of the men and women working on these detail-obsessed murder cases, revolving instead around a lot of empty hypothesizing—until a blood sample turns up. Although the cast will be unfamiliar to many, fans of French cinema will likely recognize Olivier Gourmet and Nathalie Baye. Recommended. (M. Sandlin)