Kiss The Girls

Rating:
Summary: A suspenseful thriller that wildly exceeded my expectations
Review: Kiss the Girls is a disturbing, well-crafted movie that exceeded all of my expectations. It is not what I would call horror per se, but there are certainly some realistic scenes of violence in it. This movie pulls no punches; any ghastly images are there not for shock value but for the simple reason that the story demands them to be there in order for the film to be as powerful as it is. Someone is kidnapping young, attractive girls in North Carolina's Research Triangle area; three have been found dead in the woods, but the rest remain missing. One of the missing is the niece of Washington, D.C. forensic investigator Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), and he goes to Durham to help find her. Soon thereafter, medical doctor Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd) is kidnapped from her home. She wakes up to find a masked man telling her how much he loves her; this self-named Casanova has assembled a harem of sorts for himself, keeping the missing girls locked up in separate rooms in an unknown stone-walled location. McTiernan is the only victim to break her captor's rules and survive, and she becomes Cross' greatest asset in his hunt for the criminal. The eventual outcome is somewhat complex, but the terrific script allows for little misunderstanding on the part of the viewer. Most importantly, the conclusion is both spectacular and largely unforeseen; Kiss the Girls triumphs in delivering a thoroughly satisfying ending, a fact which distinguishes it from the majority of action/thriller/psychological horror movies.

Is there a better actor in Hollywood than Morgan Freeman? His virtually perfect acting is greatly complemented here by Ashley Judd's own superb performance. The role of Casanova is also played extremely well, guaranteeing the high-impact drama of the incredible conclusion. As a native North Carolinian, though, I would like to say that the accents of the Durham policemen were not really accurate. I have no other complaints at all. Some may be interested in knowing there is no nudity in this film, which is somewhat refreshing. If you like a suspenseful thriller along the lines of Silence of the Lambs, you will almost certainly enjoy Kiss the Girls immensely.

Rating:
Summary: Bringing out the Ted Bundy in all of us!
Review: In 'Kiss the Girls', Morgan Freeman makes his original appearance as detective Alex Cross, the forensic psychologist and hero of the best selling novels by James Patterson. His performance is superb.

Ashley Judd appears opposite him as a kidnapped and nearly raped medical intern who is intent on bringing to justice the smooth talking pervert who has imprisoned (and sometimes killed) nearly a dozen gorgeous college coeds.

The story unfolds in pieces. And the emphasis of the movie is more on pursuit - than on pleasure. The twists become more numerous as we approach the finale. And the film doesn't get gory (just a little) until the very end.

Mr. Patterson's novels are too gruesome for my own tastes. But the movie adaptations - of 'Kiss the Girls', and 'Along Came a Spider' - are both tastefully done and satisfying to watch.

The subject matter of the film - namely, the mixing of sex and violence towards women - is both disturbing and titillating. Although he doesn't quite say it in this manner, the villain of the film knows that the public is fascinated with the terror he wroughts - because it brings out the latent Ted Bundy in all of us. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Isn't Gonna Win A OSCAR, but It's Quality Entertainment!
Review: Washington, DC police detective Alex Cross (Freeman) receives a call that his niece Naomi has been abducted from the Durham area, and he decides that he needs to go there to help find her. Once he gets there, he is informed that one of the women abducted has been found dead tied to a tree. He, along with Nick Ruskin (Elwes) and Davey Skes (McArthur), the two Durham detectives heading up the task force, head out to the location. Alex is fearful that it's his niece, but is relieved that it's not her.

Meanwhile, we meet Kate McTiernan (Judd), a doctor at the local hospital. Not only is she a doctor, but she's also a kick-boxer. But that does her little good when she discovers a stranger in her house, who knocks her unconscious. When she comes to, she finds herself in a small room. And shortly after regaining conscious, the person who has abducted her appears at her bedside. She manages to get out of the room and escapes by jumping into a river. After she recovers, she decides to help Alex out with his investigation, against his protests. But he realizes that she's his best opportunity to find his niece, so reluctantly agrees.

The abducter starts taunting the police, sending them notes about the women. He signs his notes as Cassanova. Cassanova was a great lover, and Alex deduces that he isn't a killer, he's a collector. He only kills when the women disappoint or cross him. After some more investigating, he finds a connection between Cassanova and a plastic surgeon on the West Coast. It seems that there are also a string of abductions there, but these women all turn up dead, with one of their feet missing.

I can't say any more without giving away too much of the plot. KISS THE GIRLS has a good story, with very good acting by all involved. When Judd's character of McTiernan is in her cell communicating with the other girls, she's so convincing that it's like she was actually there. Morgan Freeman is very good in the role of Alex Cross. The supporting cast is pretty good, as well.

**SPOILER** The only real problem I have with KISS THE GIRLS is that the story, which is good as I said above, is just too similar to a lot of other movies in the thriller genre. It's really frustating to see movie after movie with the "killer is someone we met earlier" plot-line. It might have been clever at one time, but now it is just so common-place, that the viewer almost automatically look for clues as to who the killer is. I had this one pegged not too long after we first meet him.

Based solely on the story of this movie, I would give it a three. It's basically the same movie the viewer has seen before, but with a different twist on the plot. But I have to give it a four because of the acting, especially Freeman and Judd. If Freeman has made a bad movie, I haven't seen it yet. I recommend this movie, but if you pay attention, you can figure out who Cassanova is without too much difficulty. Story rates a three, but the acting pulls it up to a four. Go check it out.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent thriller!
Review: Whoa! This movie was almost as good as SEVEN. As in that film, Morgan Freeman gives us a riveting performance. Not to mention Ashley Judd. She was one of my favorite actesses before I saw this movie and is even more so now. Her character was strong, yet vulnerable at the same time. Miss Judd shows the wide range of her acting abilities in this movie. One surprise was that Carey Elwes (THE PRINCESS BRIDE, TWISTER, LIAR LIAR) was also in this film. I hadn't realized that he was in it. It was a minor part, but still intriguing.

The suspense in this movie was great. The sense that the villain left no clues gave the viewer a sense of his invincibility. Not until Judd's character manages to escape to we see a chink in his armor. The cinematography was excellent and the score was subtle. Both gave an added effect of suspense and drama to the film. I actually caught myself holding my breath and gripping the armrest of the couch in several scenes.

I loved this movie. I'd recommend it to most of my friends (just not the ones who don't like violence :) and I'm recommending it to you, too. If you like thrillers, you must see this movie!

Rating:
Summary: a smart thriller
Review: I liked "Kiss the Girls" quiet a bit. Brilliant psycologist and homicide detective Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) goes to North Carolina to help search for his missing niece. It turns out that she is actually one of many missing girls, the killer is a collector. As it seems the police have exhausted all leads, one of the killer's victoms (Ashley Judd) escapes. She helps Cross with a lot of information that leads him to realize there is a copy cat killer in L.A. Eventually they figure out it isn't copy cat, but the two know each other, andf they are competing with each other. "Kiss the Girls" was unfairly compared with "Silence of the Lambs" and "Se7en", itr shouldn't have been; it firmly stands on it's own. What would have been nice, however, would have been a little more motive from the killers, other than them being drivin by ego. Morgan Freeman as always dose a brilliant job in what could have been a traditonally 'Dirty Harry' cop and made him more human and caring. Ashley Judd dose pretty good too. She is far from helpless. She is strong, resourceful, and smart. She isn't all that just because she has to be, she really feels tough. Brian Cox as the lead police man is appropriotly authoritive and wise (sometimes). Tony Goldwyn is ok as smug plastic surgen and serial killer. All in all, it's an excellent way to kill a few hours.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing We Haven't Seen Before, But Still Entertaining
Review: Many reviewers have had the benefit of reading the novel on which the movie was based before watching Kiss The Girls, and most reviewers consider this movie mediocre simply because it isn't on par with the novel. I haven't read the novel, so my agreement on the mediocrity of this movie stems from a slightly different source.

This movie centers around Alex Cross (played by Morgan Freeman), a forensic psychologist assigned to investigate a series of bi-coastal kidnappings simultaneously occurring in North Carolina and California. One of the women kidnapped is his own niece. He subsequently deduces that there are two kidnappers, one on each coast, who are both helping each other as well as competing against each other in some sort of sick game. Ashley Judd plays Kate Tiernan, a North Carolina doctor who is one of the women kidnapped but then manages to escape from the kidnapper's lair in the forest. She and Cross team up to find the kidnapped women and capture the kidnappers.

This movie is fairly entertaining, and Freeman and Judd are at their usual best. I also enjoyed the scenery in which the movie was filmed. However, this movie has a few drawbacks that cannot be overlooked. First, while Morgan Freeman gave an excellent performance, it was obvious that his part should have been given to someone a little younger. He's one of the greatest actors of our time, but he's a little too old to be doing action movies. Also, this movie was too much like Silence of the Lambs, only not as good. There was no original material here, and nothing that hasn't been presented in a better way in another movie.

If you're looking for something to entertain you for two hours, this will do the job. However, this is a movie you will soon forget.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT PLOT, LOUSY SCREENPLAY. FREEMAN AND JUDD CARRY IT..
Review: Nothing ingenious in the plot, nothing you wouldn't have seen before (it is almost "Se7en"-esque, come to think of it) but the handling of the crime thriller theme is different. There is a clever "bi-coastal" angle to the murders under investigation (I won't spoil it with an explanation) and the police investigators do well to identify it.

BUT, it's the terrible screenplay that makes the movie's flow rather jerky. So much sudden stuff happened during the course of the detective sleuthing that I couldn't help not caring towards the second half. The finale is mildly predicatable, and the last straw that identifies the killer is so knuckle-headed that it takes away from the overall smart flavor of the film.

On the upside, the shooting of the killer in the denouement is pretty novel (just so you wait until the end.) Morgan Freeman maintains every bit of his general quiet-yet-powerful screen charisma, and Ashley Judd delivers a very convincing performance of a woman with spirit.

The movie has a good deal of suspense too, kept me riveted. But it surely shows what bad story telling can do to an otherwise great theme.

On a scale of Freeman-Judd pairings, this is much better than "Along came a spider" (if you've seen it) but a weaker sibling to "High Crimes".

Nothing you'd want to own but definitely a recommended rental!

Rating:
Summary: Potboiler material done well..... but is it for you???
Review: This film, adapted from James Patterson's novel of the same title, is a glossy and seemingly money-driven attempt to cash in on the success of the Alex Cross novels.

Fortunatly, director Feldman takes his job seriously, and shows loving attention in the photography to convey a consistantly dark and looming atmosphere. It a great looking film, and those who have read the book ought to be pleased with the performances, especially by Ashley Judd as Kate McTiernan. Mark Isham's score is appropriate in some places, like the main titles, and at other times it sends the wrong notes to fit the scenes.

The screenplay suffers a bit from being to tightly adapted from the novel, which, as an experience is entirely different. The novels rely on short chapters and exchanges and constant shifting in viewpoint to keep the reader going along, but the movie needs a slower pace, more meticulous mood building, which this film accomplishes to a degree, but would have benefited from more freedom from the novel to cut down on the story and make the essential plot elements more developed. But to it's credit, the movie does employ a very different ending, which I feel is even better and far more appropriate than Patterson's sett piece finale.

Mainstream moviegoers might find the film too dark and be uninterested by the seriel rapist plot, because it's more toned down than your typical detective thriller. But as a whole product, KISS THE GIRLS is lean and competent, with soem great performances and quite a good story and director to drive along its lazily adapted script

Rating:
Summary: Good though not amazing
Review: I enjoyed thsi film for what it was. I'm sure that the books are much moere detailed into the characters but that for the sake of economizing time and plot, the movie moves along swiftly. The twist of a killer's victim getting away but still being necessary to being bait was a good twist as a plot point. I enjoyed Judd and Freeman working together---I don't think it could quite be called a sexual chemistry as much as an easiness with one another and a seeming respect for each other's abilities. That personal quality translates nicely to the screne so that I got the feeling that this police officer might trust Judd to help get his niece back. A good movie, though necessarily amazing, like Seven or Silence of the Lambs, but worth a viewing.

Rating:
Summary: Much better than "Along Came a Spider"
Review: Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd are wonderful in this faithful movie adaptation of James Patterson's hit novel. Ashley Judd plays a convincing victim and Morgan Freeman is good as Alex Cross. The cinematography was outstanding and the supporting cast were great. My only problem is with the ending - it was so dumb that it made me laugh when I shouldn't have been. This movie is definitely better and more faithful than "Along Came a Spider".