Taking Lives (Full Screen Edition)

Rating:
Summary: I hate this movie
Review: I want two hours of my life back, and about 20 bucks. You know who the killer is, for two reasons, A.) The teenager only looks like one of the two male costars suggested as the main killer and B.) the other option is disposed of 2/3s through the film. Duh.

This movie ravenously tries to be the next Seven, or Silence of the Lambs, or hell, the next Ashley Judd "masterpiece", but w/ the exception of seeing Angelina topless there is nothing laudable in this film. It has one genuine "thrill" that is given away in the trailers. The so-called plot twist in the end was both A.) telegraphed too strongly in 2nd Act dialogue and B.) ludicrous and obviously tacked on by film makers who wanted to try and shock the audience (although it was pretty damn obvious, in your mind you keep working it through while you twiddle your thumbs through the tedium of the film, "What's gonna be the twist? What's gonna be the twist?". Films like this are too audience-reaction conscious, and not story-logistic conscious, and once you get passed the "twist" or the "shocker", what do you have? If you went to see "Les Miserables" and one of the actors dropped his drawers and took a dump on stage, it'll be pretty shocking and quite a plot twist, but after the initial reaction, all you'd have is a steaming pile of feces on stage.

I *hate* this movie. I want to like psychological thrillers. DJ Caruso made an excellent, original film called Salton Sea. Buy or rent that. Great characters, better plot "twist"...Taking Lives stinks.

Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful, Scary, Stylish and Sexy
Review: Taking Lives is a great mystery thriller. Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, and the rest of the superb cast give convincing performances in this movie. There are also some cool action scences and the movie has a gloomy, mysterious feel to it. This is one of those movies that keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you guessing till the end. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: The Life You Live May Be Someone Else's Movie
Review: Taking Lives is based on author Michael Pye's novel of the same name. While I have never read the book, I can say the film adaptation, takes pieces of other thrillers and tries to pass things off as exciting and fresh. Can any filmmaker put thrills back in the genre?

A team of Montreal Canadian detectives handling a local homicide investigation, have to ask for an outsider's help, in order to get inside the head of a brutal serial killer. Our neighbors the north call on top FBI profiler Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie) to join the case. With her keen insight, she soon postulates that the chameleon-like killer is "life-jacking", or assuming the lives and identities of his victims. Her cold calculating demeanor alienates her from the territorial local police force. She feels working alone is best. However, when an unexpected attraction to a witness named Costa (Ethan Hawke) sparks a romantic attraction, Scott soon begins to doubt her instincts and whether or not she can help bring the elusive killer to justice.

After a chilling prologue, and opening titles that resemble those in the far superior thriller Seven, Taking Lives has a fairly solid 1st half hour. Soon though, director D.J. Caruso, allows the film to descend into all too familiar territory. Jolie is, of course, a stunning vision and all--but that's not enough. The red herrings, twists, turns, and startles of the story are easy to spot from miles away. The rest of the cast does the best they can, despite cookie cutter dialogue. By the time the movie reaches its closing credits all I did was let out one big groan. I would be able to forgive the rip offs of other thillers if I weren't always one step ahead of the action.

Jolie deserves better material. See Taking Lives, if you must, but I really doubt that the decerning viewer won't be able to figure things out like I did.

Rating:
Summary: A simple, by the books serial killer drama. 2.5 stars.
Review: The serial killer popcorn flick is nothing if not reliable for the moviegoer who wants a bit of everything in a movie: suspense, drama, comedy, and some good old-fashioned car chases added for good measure. "Taking Lives" delivers in all of these areas, though it breaks no new ground, nor does it leave the moviegoer pondering. It is a paint-by-numbers suspense picture with some good actors and an average script, with a plot that has been done many times over (and often done better).

Set in Montreal (though filmed mainly in Quebec City), a serial killer is on the loose and the police have no idea what to do. They know nothing about this person, and they are understaffed to deal with such a case. Conveniently, FBI Special Agent Illeana (Angelina Jolie) is called in to help and the case unfolds like magic. Apparently, what sets this serial killer apart is his tendency of taking over the lives of his victims, for a little while. Jolie compares him to a hermit crab, outgrowing one shell and moving onto another. When the sole witness to one of the murders, attractive art dealer Costa (Ethan Hawke), comes into the picture, the predictable sparks fly and the occasional head rolls. While the plot has a few twists, most of which are predictable and clichéd. The biggest, and most overused, cliché in this movie is the "attractive female cop outwits the dumb local cops" one, which left me wondering if the writers have seen "Silence of the Lambs" a few times too many. Aside from a few jump scenes, "Taking Lives" delivered few surprises or original twists. It is the epitome of average.

The principle cast does a good job of getting into the spirit, Jolie has come a long way, and is looking better and better with each movie she makes. She plays the dead-serious cop routine well, though she is not a match for Jodie Foster's role in "Silence of the Lambs". Hawke is perhaps the best performer in "Taking Lives", playing part Woody Allen compulsive (his nervous jitters are well done) and part Dicaprio loverboy. The other big name star is Keifer Sutherland, who despite getting third billing, is in the movie for less than 5 minutes. The cast is the main selling point for this movie, since the story is nothing to sing about.

Overall, my response to this movie was lukewarm. I have always been partial to thrillers and police dramas, as well as horror and suspense, but "Taking Lives" failed to excite me or make me care about what happens next. It is far from bad, but it is hardly a movie I would go around recommending to everybody.

Rating:
Summary: Let It Take Your Life, At Least For 1 Hour & 30 Minutes.
Review: When going to the movie theater these days, you pretty much know what to expect from the movie you choose to see. Especially, when it comes to a movie in the genre of thrillers, suspense, and horror. You know that never again will you experience what you experienced when you saw Psycho, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Omen, Carrie, or The Shinning. Because movies where the psychological terrorism and supernatural horror are dramatized, aren't made anymore. However, like The Silence of the Lambs, Seven, The Blair Witch Project, The Sixth Sense, What Lies Beneath, The Others, Donnie Darko, May, The Ring, and last year's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Taking Lives offers something that has become lost amongst all the formulaic and blood-and-guts violence-glorifying movies that are made these days. However, even with the predictable twists and turns, Taking Lives still manages to be truly original and genuinely terrifying. From the original score by Philip Glass, to the cinematography by Amir M. Mokri, and to the performances by Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke, Taking Lives leaves you with an unforgettable movie experience with an ending, like 2001's Hannibal, that you'll never forget.