CNN.com - 22 January 2018, 16:58 (+ 2291 days 23 hours and 56 minutes) Arts & Entertainment
Grim and atmospheric to the point of dank, "The Alienist" proves so derivative as to blunt its appeal. Adapted from Caleb Carr's novel, this historical fiction is handsomely produced and smartly cast, but merely delivers the latest twist on a serial-killer yarn -- a particularly nasty one, true, but which at least initially fails to get under your skin.