Lou Diamond Phillips dons a tie and glasses when he takes the lead in Hangman and tries to solve a series of killings and figure out who is telling the truth. Phillips demonstrates his ability to step into diverse roles with this one, which is pretty much opposite to what he normally does. He plays an almost-nerdy city slicker who feels out of his element when he nears a tree line.

Lt. Nick Roos (Phillips) was the senior officer in the case of serial killer Marvin Fitts, aka The Hangman, which ended when Fitts killed an officer and committed suicide. Now a copycat is messing with Nick's head.

When Nick gets the call to a murder scene, he finds the word "hypocrite" written on the victim's shoes. He was just sent to a website for the hangman's game and that was the word when he played.

The murder occurred in the home of Grace Mitchell (Madchen Amick), a pill-popping, disbarred psychiatrist who worked with her stepfather Henry Mitchell (Robert Haley) at the Bartlett Psychiatric Hospital and criminal institution until she became involved with a patient.

At first all of the clues lead to Paul Jarvis (Grant Nickalls), a former patient at the institution. When he offers airtight alibis, the investigation focuses on Henry Mitchell. He needs Grace's land, valued at more than $200 million, to have access to his own before he can develop his.

Everybody has a favorite suspect as the body count rises. The newest and youngest detective suspects Grace, but can he convince the rest of the department to take a serious look at her?

Amick is at her finest in this movie. She shines brightly as she portrays a wide variety of emotions and styles, yet remains strangely "dark" -- sinister -- from beginning to end. That darkness is always there in the subtle nuances.

This is a sound writing job. They wove one heck of a story -- a story that is certain to make you question what really is going on. There is plenty of tension and suspense to keep you firmly enmeshed in the story. Although the murderer may be predictable, the ending is not. The writers put a spin on the good cop vs bad guy story.

I really liked the photography, too. The camera crew worked their angles beautifully and helped build the suspense and tension with slow manipulation of the scenes. This is a fine example of top-of-the-line camera work.

Hangman is an outstanding whodunit that falls into those categories of howdunit and whydunit. It will keep you in suspense until the very end. Plus, it shows us a radically different side of Lou Diamond Phillips.