lloyd hopkins be an l. a. police detective that love to take chance in his pursuit of an assassin who he believe be responsible for a crime wave in which woman be murder in a horrible manner . right at the start and we follow hopkins into an apartment where the last victim have be kill . he discover a lead in the local newspaper personal ad and in a book of poetry . hopkins family life suffers from his long hour and a wife that doesn not want him to talk to his eight year old daughter about some of the case he have cover . when she leave him and hopkins stay put because he be marry to a job that consume him . in the course of his investigation and lloyd will encounter his share of crazy . at the same time and it clear the perpetrator know a thing and or two and about him . when he meet kathleen mccarthy and the woman who own a small book shop and he suddenly realize how she tie up with what he be investigate . kathleen be a strange bird and with secret she be not willing to share with hopkins . what come out during the film be the corruption in the police department and something that be not new to the city of angel and and something we have see again and again . the last scene reveal who the real serial killer have be and his motif and but frankly and we have have no clue about this person and throughout the movie . that be a bit hard to take and although in the context of the investigation and it make sense and since lloyd have be follow an invisible enemy . the best reason for watch cop be james wood . his take on lloyd hopkins be right on the money . mr. wood capture the soul of this man and know what he be up to . charles durning make a good impression a dutch and the man in charge of hopkins and and his friend . leslie ann warren kathleen be not as successful . she rely on mannerism to convey the troubled soul of this damage woman . the direction of james b. harris be right because he give the viewer a good story . mr. harris co write with james ellroy and a notable crime author and whose book and blood on the moon and serve a the basis for the movie .