The new Netflix series Mindhunter (premiered on Friday), partially directed by David Fincher (executive producers Fincher and Charlize Theron) follows two FBI agents (Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany) in the 1970s whose work helps develop the practice of criminal profiling.
Mindhunter is not as tight and gripping as Fincher’s House of Cards, and feels less like a cohesive TV series and more like an extended film, says USA Today in their review on the first two episodes of the show.
Based in part on former FBI agent John Douglas and writer Mark Olshaker's 1996 non-fiction book, Mindhunter likely will please fans of Fincher and true crime.
It’s slow-burning, dark, dense, graphic and character-driven. Its shots are moody and well-composed. And its heroes — Groff’s earnest Holden Ford and McCallany’s gruff Bill Tench — are appealing, and flawed mostly by their over-eagerness to do good.
Despite Netflix’s affinity for “binge-able” series, Mindhunter is unlikely to be enjoyed all at once. It is a narrative consumed by violence and sometimes shows intensely graphic imagery of the murders perpetrated by its killers.
Although scenes are strung together a bit casually, they are lavishly filmed, meticulously directed and scored. Groff and McCallany are well-cast, and Groff has an air of innocence and naiveté that makes his goody-goody character work.
All in all, as per a review on Times, Mindhunter is the perfect crime drama.