Mexican Psycho

A killer described as ultra-violent and intelligent leaves a white paper rabbit at every crime scene, a signature that dares the police to connect dots he has already drawn for them. That single image does an enormous amount of work, turning a manhunt into a contest of authorship in which the investigation is permanently one step behind a mind that enjoys being read. The tone the premise promises is cold and precise rather than merely gory.

Serial-killer stories live or die on atmosphere, and this one sets out its stall for viewers who like the genre stylish, cruel and unsentimental. At an hour and thirty-nine it has every reason to move without sagging, tightening as the pattern comes into focus. Anyone who gravitates toward methodical investigations, an antagonist with a taste for theatre, and crime cinema that refuses to blink will know within ten minutes whether they are in. Best watched late, with the lights low and the phone face down.