Damaged (2024) | Film Review

In Damaged, a series of grisly murders descends onto the Highlands of Scotland that has a striking resemblance to a case that Detective Dan Lawson could not close five years ago. Lawson leaves his Chicago hometown to head overseas and lend his expertise to the case and help determine if the serial killer is back or a copycat.

Terry McDonough’s crime drama stars Samuel L. Jackson as Chicago Police Detective Lawson, Gianni Capaldi as his Scottish counterpart and lead investigator Glen Boyd, with Vincent Cassel as Bravo, Lawson’s former colleague. Boyd is investigating several cases that involve the victim’s bodies being discovered in a unique fashion, shall we say. Lawson investigated similar cases but was never able to solve the case. This has pushed him down a path of heavy drinking – even on the job. With enough religious and spiritual iconography to make Dan Brown’s head spin, Boyd and Lawson weed through the symbols and follow the clues with some outside help from Cassel’s Bravo.

You’re getting what you expect from Samuel L. Jackson. He brings that depth and intensity with a spark of anger that has become a hallmark of his acting. Albeit with a relatively low “MF” count this time. Cassel is very charming with enough of a sleaze-factor that you wouldn’t want to leave him with your girlfriend for very long. John Hannah plays the role of a dirt bag so well, he may have a darker past than we know about, which is one more element to peak curiosities. He is such a great addition to any cast.

While Jackson and Cassel are the top billers, Capaldi is actually the lead. Or is he? This is where I struggled a bit, because it feels like the focus shifts away a few times throughout the film. While Boyd has his own personal issues as well, it was hard to form a personal bond with his character. As a result, I didn’t seem to care as much about him as the movie goes on.

With a run time of barely an hour and a half, I feel there could have been a little more added to establish the characters, build the connections, and raise the stakes while still laying out the foundation for what’s to come. There seemed to be something missing in the character angle, like when someone bakes cookies with margarine instead of butter. The only way I can describe it was “chemistry”. Old friends or coworkers didn’t feel as close as they should be. There seemed to be a distance between almost everyone. While the growing bond between Lawson and Boyd started to grow, it was hard to believe they were becoming a team.

Damaged weaves the best parts of a BBC murder mystery and an American cop drama into a solid thriller. It refreshingly doesn’t lean on typical rule-breaking, anti-hero cop tropes. Instead they play by the rules to track down the person doing the murders like a detective should do. Good, old-fashioned police work. Like a baseball pitcher setting up the batter with fastballs only to throw the unexpected curve ball, McDonough’s Damaged pulls the rug from under your feet and will leave you demanding a rewatch, but with a different perspective.