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The Postcard Killings

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The Postcard Killings
Film poster
Directed byDanis Tanović
Screenplay byTove Alsterdal
Ellen Brown Furman
Liza Marklund
Andrew Stern
Tena Štivičić
Based onThe Postcard Killers
by Liza Marklund and James Patterson
Produced byPaul Brennan
Tracey Edmonds
Leopoldo Gout
Anna Sofia Mörck
Peter Nelson
James Patterson
Miriam Segal
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
StarringJeffrey Dean Morgan
Famke Janssen
Cush Jumbo
CinematographySalvatore Totino
Edited bySean Barton
Music bySimon Lacey
Production
company
Good Films Collective
Distributed byRLJE Films
Release date
  • March 13, 2020 (2020-03-13)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[1]
Box office$181,415[2]

The Postcard Killings is a 2020 American crime film directed by Danis Tanović, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Famke Janssen and Cush Jumbo, and based on the 2010 novel The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund.[3][4] The film was released on March 13, 2020, receiving negative reviews from critics.

Premise

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Jacob Kanon, a New York detective, investigates the death of his daughter who was murdered while on her honeymoon; he recruits the help of an American journalist working in Sweden, Dessie Lombard, when other couples throughout Europe suffer a similar fate.

The movie opens with someone killing a young couple. It turns out to be Jacob Kanon's daughter and her husband who are in London on their honeymoon. He goes to London to identify the bodies of his daughter and her new husband at the morgue.

After that Kanon begins an investigation into the identity of the killer. The investigation expands to other European cities as the killer doesn't stop. With the help of Lombard and a German policeman he exposes the truth and understands what's going on.

Cast

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Production

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In June 2012, it was reported James Patterson was working with European producers to adapt his novel The Postcard Killers that he had co-authored with Liza Marklund to film.[5] In November of that year, it was reported the film had been set up at Good Films, the UK based company of EastEnders producer Miriam Segal.[1] In February 2016, Janusz Kamiński had initially signed on to direct from a script by Marklund and Tove Alsterdal.[6] In October 2018, it was reported Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Connie Nielsen would play the roles of Jacob and Valerie Kanon.[7] In May 2019, it was reported Famke Janssen would be replacing Nielsen as Valerie and that Kamiński had left the film which would be now directed by Danis Tanović.[8]

Reception

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On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 25% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 4.2/10.[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 29 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[10]

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "The filmmakers are clearly hoping that Patterson's name will be enough to attract moviegoers, but this misbegotten effort only serves to further tarnish a cinematic brand already diminished by 2012's Tyler Perry-starrer Alex Cross."[11] Dennis Harvey of Variety said: "This uninspired detour into impersonally commercial English-language terrain for Bosnian director Danis Tanovic (an Oscar winner for 2001's No Man's Land) should provide Patterson's fans and undemanding miscellaneous viewers with an acceptably slick if not-particularly-suspenseful crime potboiler for home viewing."[12] Brian Costello of Common Sense Media awarded the film three stars out of five.[13]

Sequel

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A sequel, entitled The Postcard Killer, was announced in May 2024. Renny Harlin is attached to direct, while Morgan and Janssen will reprise their roles. Filming was set to begin in fall 2024 in London, Madrid, Florence and Latvia,[14] but was later pushed to January 2025.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Good goes big with six pic slate". Variety. Retrieved January 18, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "The Postcard Killings".
  3. ^ LePire, Bobby (8 April 2020). "The Postcard Killings". Film Threat. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  4. ^ Hipes, Patrick (16 January 2020). "Jeffrey Dean Morgan Thriller 'The Postcard Killings' To Hit Theaters In March Via RLJE Films". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  5. ^ "James and the giant reach". Variety. Retrieved January 18, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Janusz Kaminski Grabs Director's Chair for 'The Postcard Killings' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 18, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Connie Nielsen to Star in Drama 'Postcard Killings'". Variety. Retrieved January 18, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Famke Janssen Joins Jeffrey Dean Morgan in 'The Postcard Killings,' First Look Image (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 18, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "The Postcard Killings (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  10. ^ "The Postcard Killings Reviews". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  11. ^ Scheck, Frank (12 March 2020). "'The Postcard Killings': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  12. ^ Harvey, Dennis (12 March 2020). "'The Postcard Killings': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  13. ^ Costello, Brian (13 March 2020). "The Postcard Killings". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  14. ^ Kay, Jeremy (May 15, 2024). "Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Famke Janssen to star in Renny Harlin's 'The Postcard Killer' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  15. ^ https://x.com/JDMorgan/status/1848070666064371769
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