Boston Strangler

Decades before the events of She Said, two female investigative journalists fought to tell the story of a high-profile male perpetrator. However, Boston Strangler doesn’t match its procedural intrigue with consistent suspense.

Although it unspools the story from a different perspective than the 1968 thriller starring Henry Fonda and Tony Curtis, the conventional approach in this retelling misses an opportunity to add meaningful insight into the notorious true-life case.

In the mid-1960s, Boston was on edge after a serial killer began targeting single women in apartments, sending reporters and detectives scrambling for clues. One of them is Loretta (Keira Knightley), a go-getter who’s tired of working in the lifestyle section at her fledgling newspaper.

Teaming with hard-news veteran Jean (Carrie Coon), she gains a unique perspective by establishing a sympathetic connection with families of the victims, plus gaining an inside track with other women who have key evidence.

Of course, their grizzled editor (Chris Cooper) worries about his reputation and would rather give any scoops to his all-male crime team who rely on established relationships with police. “You don’t have a story,” he tells Loretta. “You have a grudge.”

His assertion stems from her rationale for the inability of the authorities to pin down suspects, and her calling out their tactics publicly as sexist. Are her ethics compromised?

Navigating a maze of corrupt cops and greedy attorneys, Loretta turns from an obsessed pursuer of truth to a crusader for justice, putting her own safety at risk while being galvanized by those who doubt her.

Loretta and Jean make compelling central figures, with British actress Knightley capably handling the New England accent.

Indeed, the best aspects of the film have nothing to do with the titular crimes, but rather center on a determined reporter trying to break through the glass ceiling. The efforts to generate white-knuckle chills along the lines of David Fincher’s Zodiac fall flat, despite some stylish, noir-accented period re-creation.

Even for those unfamiliar with the factual details, the uneven screenplay by director Matt Ruskin (Crown Heights) is missing sufficient tension given the grisly and horrific nature of the murders, and their lingering effects on biases in the legal system.

Boston Strangler is mildly taut but lacks urgency, offering some obligatory twists and turns without digging beneath the surface — like its tenacious wordsmiths would have done.

Rated R, 112 minutes.