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 Taking Lives (2004)
Rated: R for strong violence including disturbing images, language and some sexuality.
Runtime: 105 mins.
Director: D.J. Caruso
Writer: Michael Pye (novel); Jon Bokenkamp (screenplay)
Cast: Angelina Jolie; Ethan Hawke; Keifer Sutherland ....complete cast
Genre: Drama/Crime/Action
Tagline: He would kill to be you.
Memorable Quote: "How can I describe to you how dangerous he was? No...is!"
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| Reel commentary: ....Jolie delivers a fine performance as an investigator that gives into her emotions for an evening and pays a high price for breaking from her FBI training.....full review |
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By Mermaid (Guest Critic)
Crime thrillers are the thing today. They're big on television and at the movies. Television shows such as CSI, Crossing Jordan, and others have given new insight into forensic science for the viewing audience. They lead the audience along the route homicide detectives take in solving the cases they are involved in.
Taking Lives is set in Montreal, Canada. It's a story about identity theft, and 20 years of unsolved homicides. The story itself starts out in 1998 when two young men meet on a bus ride. They quickly become friends and rent a car after their bus breaks down. To make matters worse, they later experience a flat tire on their rental car. As one is fixing the flat, the other looks on and kicks his newfound friend into the path of an approaching van, causing his death and the start of many killings.
This individual steals the identity of men similar in age and physique. He's like a hermit crab. When he grows tired of the identity he has assumed, he sheds his shell and finds a new one, only to kill again, again, and again. The Montreal police are at their wits end trying to find this serial killer that's been on the loose for way too long.
So it gets to the point where they need help from the FBI. They need a profiler. So agent Ileans Scott (Angelina Jolie) is called in to help with the case. When we first see Ileana she is lying down in an unearthed grave at a construction site where one of the victims was found. This unusual habit is what makes Ileana so perfect at her work. It enables her to get a sense of why the victim was killed and who did it.
Ileana is a strange person. She dines alone in her room, with the pictures of the victims taped to the chair opposite where she is sitting. She also sleeps with the pictures of the victims taped above her bed. She doesn't have a personal life, she's not interested in anything beyond the case in front of her.
Among the individuals that are being questioned is James Costa (Ethan Hawke), an art dealer who states that he saw one of the victims being murdered and he can identify the serial killer. He sketches a picture of the man he says is responsible and the chase begins to capture him.
As Ileana pieces together the clues in an effort to catch the killer before he strikes again, she finds herself being attracted to Costa. This is something she just doesn't let happen. She even gets to the point where she wants to remove herself from the case because of their involvement. However, LeClair (Tcheky Karyo), her friend who is heading up the investigation, won't let her walk away.
Things intensify as more twists and turns are thrown at the audience. There is even an occasional surprise or two that causes the audience to jump out of their seats.
There is great chemistry between Jolie and Hawke that makes their onscreen relationship seem very real. Jolie delivers a fine performance as an investigator that gives into her emotions for an evening and pays a high price for breaking from her FBI training.
"Taking Lives" is a thrill-ride definitely worth taking.
Mermaid
See what other Frank's Reel Reviews critics have to say about Taking Lives.
Read Dan Ferrisi's review.
This title not yet on DVD.
| Angelina Jolie.... |
Illeana |
| Ethan Hawke .... |
Costa |
| Kiefer Sutherland .... |
Hart |
| Gena Rowlands.... |
Mrs. Asher |
| Olivier Martinez .... |
Paquette |
| Tchéky Karyo .... |
Leclair |
| Jean-Hugues Anglade .... |
Duval |
| Paul Dano .... |
Young Asher |
| Justin Chatwin .... |
Matt Soulsby |
| André Lacoste .... |
Cashier |
| Billy Two Rivers .... |
Car Salesman |
| Richard Lemire .... |
Québec City Cop |
| Julien Poulin .... |
Québec City Inspector |
| Marie-Josée Croze .... |
Medical Examiner |
| Christian Tessier .... |
Interrogation Officer |
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