Plot: Stan is a quiet, solitary detective in New York City. A few months ago, he solved a gruesome case of serial murders, although an undercover police officer lost her life. A new set of similar murders begins: the bodies are elaborately displayed and the killer uses equipment from art and early movie making in the tableau, or he leaves a clue as to where the investigators are to stand to get the full artistic effect. Stan is paired with a younger detective, Carl, whom he brushes off when Carl wants to get to know him. As pieces fall in place, it's a race to prevent the next killing, quite possibly someone close to Stan.
Alternative Plot: Five years after helping to catch and kill a serial killer known as Uncle Eddie, NYPD Detective Stan Aubray (Willem Dafoe) is an alcoholic wreck, demoted to teaching duty. When a stockbroker is found murdered in the same manner as Uncle Eddie's victims, Stan is assigned to work the case with Detective Carl Uffner (Scott Speedman). At every new crime scene, artistically arranged murders offer tantalizing clues pointing to the old cases. And, as the bodies pile up, Stan becomes the main suspect.
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