Alec Baldwin is having his share of issues lately, but he’s still working and doing the kind of roles you’d expect from him. His latest role is that of a police chief who has to figure out who is a Serial killer running rampant in Little Rock, Arkansas in Crescent City. Another Lionsgate crime thriller to add to the many they’ve produced and distributed in the past.

A Serial killer is luring their victims into a false sense of security as a connection from a dating service Secrets 666. Police Chief Powell (Alec Baldwin) has enlisted the help of his two most experienced homicide detectives Brian (Terrence Howard) and Luke Esai Morales) to help him solve these brutal murders. When the detectives struggle to get answers as the bodies start to pile up a new detective is added to the team. Jaclyn (Nicky Whelan) from Tennessee by way of Sydney,  Australia has a different perspective on the case. Together they hope to get to the bottom of these murders before the case starts to unravel.

There is a side story in this film and it’s done in flashbacks and very lucid dreams that the Howard character has. As he and his two partners are investigating this strange case he is Haunted by a case from his past. Being caught between the two things is hard for him. His partners are starting to see an issue with him on the case, but the chief continues to believe in him and his abilities as a detective. 

Terrence Howard has had an up-and-down career. Hustle and Flow and Iron Man are the high points and some television works and others that haven’t gone anywhere with audiences. They haven’t made much money either. He’s trying to make a comeback. With roles that have a complex nature to them such as this one. The problem is the rest of the movie isn’t much to write home about. It’s a bit of a throwaway film.

There are a couple of twists in this story that I won’t reveal because they are spoilers, but they weren’t all that surprising to me as someone who’s been watching movies as long as I have. Director RJ Collins and writer Rich Ronat tried to infuse this story with some shocking surprises, but all they did was convolute a story that didn’t need any more confusion thrown at it. I understand trying to throw some curves at the viewers, but these were a bit predictable too and I’m sure others that see this throwaway crime thriller.

Crescent City has a promise that I’m more often than not interested in. I love a good detective film involving a Serial killer. The problem is I’ve seen this one more often than I can count. Even the twists in the story were pretty predictable.  The cast including Baldwin, Morales, and Howard were all fine. They’ve done better though. Collins and Ronat tried to do something surprising within a genre that is a tried and true one. There are certain ways to do crime thrillers and it’s hard to ruin this genre, but this one isn’t that good.

2 ½

Dan Skip Allen