Taking Lives


Starring: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, Olivier Martinez, Gena Rowlands
Directed by: D.J. Caruso
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Drama
2004
Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An FBI Agent (Angelina Jolie) is brought in to catch a murderer who assumes the identities of his victims.

Review:

Tim: Taking Lives is a pretty decent crime thriller, although no where near the top of the genre. The cast acts well and the story twists enough to always keep us entertained. The weak parts of the film are the moments when it gets so close to repeating the same formual of so many other serial killer thrillers. Even the one big twist (that becomes painfully obvious long before it actually occurs) is present here. However, the film is determined to make up for it with a pretty intense conclusion.

Angelina Jolie is pretty decent. She was better in The Bone Collector, however. Here, she is a little too perfect in her role- the character never really makes mistakes, is more intelligent than anyone else, etc. Plus, her backstory of why she became an FBI profiler is slightly different from the norm, but more or less typical.

Ethan Hawke is very good in his role. He gives perhaps the best performance of the film. I'm really liking him more and more. Kiefer Sutherland stays in the shadows and doesn't have very much to do.

All in all, Taking Lives is a decent thriller, but it can't compare to the best in the genre. You won't hate this movie, but you'll certain recognize other crime thrillers in this one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Bone Collector, The Silence of the Lambs, Twisted, Seven