Movie Review: Taking Lives

Taking Lives

I like a good thriller. For me, "good" is defined in two ways: If there are plenty of plot twists and turns, I'm happy. If I'm scared a couple of times along such a tortured path, I'm happier still. While there are a few things to criticize about Taking Lives, plot twists and jump-in-your-seat moments are not among them.

In Taking Lives, the people of Montreal, Canada find themselves being stalked by a serial killer. The local inspector in charge of the investigation - a man named Leclair (Tcheky Karyo) - overrules the objections of the two men assigned to the case and calls in Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie), a talented FBI profiler. Officers Paquette (Olivier Martinez) and Duval (Jean-Hughes Anglade) aren't happy, but they grudgingly work with Scott even to the point of allowing her to personally question the only witness to any of the killings, an artist named Costa (Ethan Hawke). But when Scott finds herself drawn to Costa, and Costa simultaneously finds himself the next likely target of the killer, all involved rush to solve the case before more people die.

Taking Lives shows the graphic aftermath of violent death, and pulls no punches as it leads the audience along the trail of terror left behind by a very, very smart killer. But such a horrific show actually adds to the obvious desperation felt by the police, as well as to the fear they experience as they close in on their man. Angelina Jolie is rarely less than good even in bad movies; in this, she's just fine. Ethan Hawke is something of a surprise here. Though he, too, has always been quite good, he's surpassed himself in this role and he was almost uniformly terrific in his scenes. Olivier Martinez continues to be his smoldering sexy self onscreen, but his accent is often so thick he's difficult to understand - something I think will have to improve if he wants to be a star in America like he is in France. The rest of the cast is also good, with Keifer Sutherland continuing to make a name for himself as a suave, soft-spoken menace.

There were a couple of scenes - I won't give anything away, here - where I quite literally jumped in my seat. In fact, there was one moment where I just about jumped completely out of my seat. In between times, I tried to figure out exactly where the killer was and how they'd catch him. I had it figured out several times. Eventually, I did get it right and I got it right before it was actually revealed with certainty. But that's a relatively small criticism for a movie that advertises itself as a thriller and which does, indeed, offer some very real thrills.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Taking Lives is rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, language, and some sexuality. The violence, as I mentioned, is extremely graphic. The sex, while limited, is also relatively graphic. This is not a movie for the kids. It is, however, a good film for those 16 and over with a strong stomach, a healthy heart, and a passion for mysteries.