Synopsis

After a disgraced FBI agent is transferred to New Mexico, he investigates a series of murders linked by an unusual pattern: the victims were serial killers themselves. The trail leads to Benjamin O'Ryan, a former agent who may possess psychic abilities and a personal mission to eliminate criminals who have escaped detection. As the investigation deepens, the case challenges the boundaries between profiling, obsession, and supernatural perception.

Factoids & Trivia

• Zak Penn wrote the original screenplay in 1995. The project spent years in development and underwent substantial rewriting before production, including work by Billy Ray.

• The story was originally set in Texas, but the finished film moved the action to New Mexico. Principal photography took place around Albuquerque and other New Mexico locations in August and September 2002.

• Although filming finished in 2002, the movie's release was postponed twice. It finally reached U.S. theaters on August 27, 2004.

• The production had an estimated budget of $27 million but earned approximately $11.4 million worldwide, making it a commercial disappointment.

• Tom Cruise received an uncredited producer credit through Cruise/Wagner Productions.

• The film's visual design emphasizes its desert setting from the beginning: the Paramount logo appears in brown, while the water in the Intermedia logo is rendered black.

• The DVD release included a featurette examining the film's central idea of remote viewing, the alleged ability to perceive distant people or places through psychic means.