John Douglas & Scott Glenn
Just as Ernest Hemingway stated that, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn,” all modern profiler characters in novels, television and film come from one FBI agent called John Douglas. From The Silence of the Lambs to Criminal Minds, from the novels of Patricia Cornwell to films like Seven, and even one that appropriated the title Mindhunters, they all have characters that, to one degree or another, are based on John Douglas. And now television has given us two more: The Following and Hannibal – this last featuring Will Graham, the brilliant, damaged profiler from Thomas Harris’s Red Dragon.
But with all this indirect homage to John, they all seem to miss the point.
The key trait for most of these character is the “rare gift” – or is it actually a curse? – to get inside the mind of a serial killer and think like he does. In fact, this Will Graham can come to a crime scene, intuit what happened, and instantly visualize what happened.
Well, great!
We all know it’s not that simple in real life, but it’s not that complicated, either. What I mean is, not everyone can be a John Douglas, but if you’re a detective or a profiler or some other kind of crime analyst and you can’t get inside the mind of a killer and think like he does, then you are most likely in the wrong line of work. Thinking like a killer is basic equipment for solving murders.
John Douglas has been known to do some oddball things, like analyzing a case while sitting in a cemetery at night or keeping a pad next to his bed so he can write down insights from his dreams. But aside from some basic intuitive talent, what made him what he is was the drive, determination and hard work to find out more about violent predators and what went into their decision-making and performance of each crime then anyone had before. Yes, he did learn to think like killers, and the way he did it was by asking them.
So the next time you see a TV or movie profiler delivering the goods on a serial killer from the deep recesses of his own troubled psyche, think of all the research and hard work that went into making his or her real life counterpart the model he became.
Chris H: I found your comment ridiculous and unfounded. I couldn’t disagree with you more. Obviously, you haven’t read any of John’s books or you’d know what a meticulous, gifted investigator he is.
I’m fairly certain that nowadays Douglas would not be picked for the FBI. He’s too weird and displays too many characteristics that imply mental instability. Of course, that’s what made him awesome, but he wouldn’t stand a chance today.