Heartland Movie Film Festival Review: ‘A Talent For Murder’

Tweet
Review by James Lindorf

The 35th Heartland International Film Festival wrapped up its 11-day run in Indianapolis on October 18th, 2026. Under the anniversary theme “What We’re Made Of,” the acclaimed event showcased more than 100 independent films across 260 screenings and awarded $80,000 in cash prizes. The festival continues to maintain a massive industry footprint, recently voted the #1 Best Film Festival by the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards and consistently named one of the Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World by MovieMaker Magazine, which is why it was attended by 200 filmmakers and actors, including KJ Apa and Pioneering Spirit Award winner Will Poulter.

The 2026 marquee lineup kicked off with the Opening Night world premiere of “Jimmy,” a biopic exploring Hollywood icon Jimmy Stewart’s WWII service. The festival’s Centerpiece feature welcomed back Martin McDonagh and Searchlight Pictures with “Wild Horse Nine,” a high-stakes thriller tracking a pair of CIA agents navigating a dangerous mission stretching from Santiago to Easter Island. The festival concluded with “The Debut,” a comedy about a shy housewife who transforms into an intense method actor after landing a minor role in a community theater production directed by a Heartland favorite, Jesse Eisenberg.

One of the spotlight films outside the three prestigious time slots is “A Talent for Murder,” starring the iconic Dame Helen Mirren. Directed by Anton Corbijn (The American) and based on Joanna Murray-Smith’s adaptation of her own 2014 play “Switzerland,” the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Bleecker Street acquired the release rights. “A Talent for Murder” opens in limited markets October 23rd.

Patricia Highsmith (Helen Mirren) created one of fiction’s great charming killers. Edward Ridgeway (Alden Ehrenreich) is a young literary agent who travels from New York to Switzerland to convince her to write a final Tom Ripley novel. Highsmith is initially hostile and dismissive, reminding Edward of how poorly this task went for his predecessor. Even after passing her initial test, their relationship remains contentious, and his efforts grow more sinister the longer he stays. Olivia Cooke plays love interest and story inspiration Clementine Balfour, with Juliet Stevenson as her wealthy aunt Peggy.

I think of glamour and power when I think of Helen Mirren, and this is her playing against that. Her Highsmith is forceful, but a bitter, bigoted force that never extends past her front door. She is a misanthrope who is never a pleasure to be around, much like the real Highsmith. Mirren captures how Highsmith’s mind is as sharp as her tongue, and that is what keeps you watching her. Ehrenreich is just as good in a double role, playing Edward and a version of Ripley as the two build the new story. He moves between them effortlessly and believably, and I would happily watch him play a straight-up serial killer. His performance is combative when Edward and Highsmith spar, romantic when he is with Clementine, and deadly for everyone who meets his Ripley. Three versions of Edward, depending on who he is with.

Cooke is the film’s most underserved piece. Clementine is more an object of inspiration than a fully developed character, and Cooke is good enough that I wanted to see her given something more interesting to do. Stevenson is fine as Peggy. However, she is merely an obstacle in the fictional story Edward and Highsmith are creating. Whether she is well acted or not, it doesn’t add much to the story.

“A Talent for Murder” would work great on the stage or the page, but it looks good on screen. Most of it takes place in Highsmith’s house, and Corbijn makes the most of the breaks, bringing in glimpses of the countryside, fancy restaurants, and Peggy’s mansion. It feels bigger than “The Invite,” which was also adapted from the stage and used its confined space to its advantage. The visual richness goes beyond locations. The lighting and color palette are lovely, and it is the kind of look that shows up in Corbijn’s earlier work. Dickon Hinchliffe’s music is good, though it borders on heavy-handed about how we should feel at a given moment. It works for me because it fits the aggressive but still fun style of Mirren’s character.

In “A Talent for Murder,” three great movies are fighting to get out. You could have a quirky romcom with Edward and Clementine, a tense battle of wills between him and Highsmith over the novel, or a thriller with him carrying out a Ripley-style caper. Each could have been a great movie on its own, and we don’t get enough of any of them. Ehrenreich’s double role makes it worse, because it has you questioning everything. Who is Edward really? Is he even real, or just a creative tool for Highsmith? That lack of commitment keeps me from investing in the story as much as I should. It is a movie for fans of Highsmith’s work and anyone who loves an actor-driven film. It is worth the theater dollars, but you won’t miss much by waiting to see it at home. “A Talent for Murder” could have been a 5 if it had picked a lane, but the lack of commitment brought it down to a 3.5 out of 5.

Rating: R (Sexual Content|Some Violence|Language)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): October 23rd, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 46m
Director: Anton Corbijn
Producer: Gabrielle Tana, Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon, Jim Robison, Kurt Martin, Carolyn Marks Blackwood, Troy Lum, Andrea Occhipinti, Stefano Massenzi
Screenwriter: Joanna Murray-Smith
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Production Co: LD Entertainment, Magnolia Mae Films, Zurich Avenue