This is an odd film with long scenes of dialogue that go on too long and other scenes with sudden fits of explosive violence. It reminded me a lot of 1982's ALONE IN THE DARK in that manner. TGWGA is not terrible, definitely not incompetent. The script and the editing needed to be more focused and tightened. As an editor of 15+ years, I saw many pauses that could have been pulled up and bits of repetitive dialogue that could have been trimmed to cut a good 10 minutes out of this film without losing a single scene, although I would have jettisoned the one truly bad scene with the social worker at Christina's home late in the movie. It's not well acted and is unintentionally funny. At 116 minutes, many will find this movie to be plodding, not thrilling.

I wish this thriller had a little less talk and a little more thrill to it. I wish the backstory of the serial killer was fleshed out a bit more and that the movie had less characters/subplots. I hope the makers of this film get a chance to make another movie and hone their skills because there's definitely talent behind the camera.

The slow burn pace might not be for some folks and I'll admit I don't think this movie needed to be two hours long, but that said, I quite enjoyed this thriller and I would go as far as to say it's the best I've seen in some time. Set against the backdrop of a Mid-Western town, the kind of place that seems perpetually cold and isolated, it's the perfect setting for what unfolds. Actress Lexi Johnson T(The Nice Guys, This is Us) and Chukwudi Iwuji (John Wick Pt.2, When They See Us) are the main focus and do a wonderful job of carrying this movie on their shoulders. The cast isn't a huge one but everyone else is fine in their roles. The story itself is very well written and even when you think you know what's going on here, Morrisey manages to flip the script in a way that feels original and smart. Like most fans of this genre, I love a good mystery and I really thought I had it all figured out. Turns out I wasn't even close, anytime a movie can catch me off guard, I'm a happy camper.

The kills are very effective as well. Gruesome but not over the top and with a solid sound design that sells the brutality and them some. Another aspect of this story that helped it stand out from most similar thriller was the antagonist. Female killers are rare in these types of movies and female serial killers even more so. Actress Kate Tuckerman (The Matrix Reloaded) who plays the lethal Elizabeth feels like a true force to recon with here with her earliest scenes taking their inspiration from none other than Michael Myers of Halloween fame. My only disappointment is we didn't have enough of her on screen but when she's there, you WILL believe this sixty something year old woman could whoop an ass and then some!

Like I mentioned before, the runtime here is a bit problematic and with some editing here and there to keep the tension tighter, The Girl Who Got Away would've been pitch perfect. That said, if you're a fan of thrillers that don't pull punches when it comes to its kills and doesn't make it too easy for you to figure out its mysteries, you should definitely give this a look.