Though he may be recognized as everyone’s favorite vigilante serial killer in Showtime’s Dexter, Michael C. Hall has carved out a diverse body of work in film since the original eight-season run ended in 2013. From a man traumatized by a burglar killing in Cold in July to the role of Richard Nixon’s disgraced White House counsel John Dean in Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, each of Hall’s roles were worlds away from his iconic television character. He would find himself covering similar terrain in Jim Mickle’s sci-fi thriller, In the Shadow of the Moon.
The Netflix movie released in 2019 takes a big swing by combining The Terminator’s use of time travel to avert future disaster with psychological thrillers such as Zodiac and Manhunter. While Terminator’s themes were driven by the destiny of one person who could be the savior of humanity, Mickle’s screenplay for Moon explores the much darker ramifications of a man’s growing obsession with a case so bizarre that it consumes his life and affects his relationships for the worse. The mix of genres along with some rare acting turns from Hall and the film’s star, Boyd Holbrook, make this picture a compelling gem for the streaming giant.
What Is Netflix’s ‘In the Shadow of the Moon’ About?

Set over three decades, Philadelphia police officer Tom Lockhart (Holbrook), alongside his partner Maddox (Bokeem Woodbine), investigate a string of bizarre deaths in 1988 involving random people having their brains melted. Working with his ambitious brother-in-law, Detective Holt (Hall), Lockhart tracks down the killer in the form of a mysterious young Black woman, Rya (Cleopatra Coleman), who warns him about his future right before getting hit by a train.
Nine years pass when the killings start again. However, this is no copycat case, as Lockhart’s investigation leads to the shocking revelation that the woman is traveling back in time every nine years to prevent a future terror attack on American soil. As Lockhart gets closer to the truth with each passing decade, he descends into a reasonable madness that costs him his job and his daughter, whom he raised following his wife’s passing in childbirth.

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The combination of time travel movies and the psychological thriller genre is what makes In the Shadow of the Moon such a unique film. Like Terminator and the Back to the Future trilogy, it raises ethical questions about changing the past to stop a catastrophic future. However, that aspect of the film is firmly in the background as it follows a thematic pattern of personal obsession having grave consequences. Just like the main characters in Zodiac, Moon takes a similar route in showing what happens when a man pursuing a killer for years finds their life getting increasingly smaller and darker.
In the Shadow Of the Moon is a true tour de force performance by its lead actor, Boyd Holbrook. Beginning as a bright-eyed patrolman with a promising future as a husband and expecting father, he becomes increasingly deconstructed as a man desperate for answers. His most powerful scenes come halfway through the film as Lockhart loses almost everything to the point where he has to beg for help from Holt, who gets promoted to chief in the 2000s. Lockhart’s growing obsession with finding Rya is where In the Shadow of the Moon succeeds in delivering heartbreak for the audience.
Michael C. Hall’s ‘In the Shadow of the Moon’ Role Is the Opposite of ‘Dexter’

Image via Netflix

For fans of Dexter expecting another sly anti-hero role, Hall offers something the exact opposite as the overzealous detective, more disturbed by the murders and Lockhart’s increasing paranoia than being fascinated by them. Where Dexter Morgan tends to be heavily engaged in a crime scene involving blood splatters, Hall’s Detective Holt has difficulty examining a scene with gruesome murders. He’s often quick to jump to conclusions for the sake of cracking the case rather than giving it closer examination as Dexter does in bypassing his fellow Miami PD colleagues.

In the Shadow of the Moon is also unique to see Hall not play the outsider character similar to his iconic role. He dials down the cool persona of his iconic character in favor of something a little less complex. Holt is a straight-laced cop who is initially antagonistic to Lockhart because of their familial relationship. As Lockhart’s life unravels, however, Holt is the last true friend he can confide in, even though the detective-turned-police chief cannot buy into his brother-in-law’s time travel theories. Yet, Holt is not entirely unlikable here. He wants Lockhart to get himself together for the sake of his daughter, and he gradually shows such sympathy without overdramatizing it.

In the Shadow of the Moon

Release Date

September 27, 2019

Runtime

115 minutes

Director

Jim Mickle

Writers

Geoffrey Tock

Producers

Aaron Barnett, Linda Moran, Rene Bastian, Ben Pugh, Fred Berger, Rory Aitken, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Rian Cahill