Movie Review: Taking Lives

DJ Caruso - Director
Angelina Jolie - Illeana Scott
Ethan Hawke - Costa
Keifer Sutherland - Hart
Olivier Martinez - Paquette
Jena Rowlands - Mrs Asher

Ethan Hawke and Angelina Jolie in Taking Lives

Taking Lives revolves around a serial killer who steals the identity of his victims. He's taking lives - get it? The story plays out in very typical hollywood crime/serial killer drama fashion. There is a killer on the loose and the local police call in an FBI expert profiler (Jolie) to crack the case. Agent Scott is quiet, withdrawn, eccentric and brings a haunted past with her. Olivier Martinez plays Paquette, the cop on the force who is distrustful of the new cop and is offended by her presence. Ethan Hawke plays the one witness who can help bring it all together. Keifer Sutherland lurks in the shadows, looking sinister and making us think "There he is! That's the bad guy!" The film has the standard plot twists we've come to expect in these movies; one of them I expected, the second I did not...the second also struck me as somewhat unbelievable.

Taking Lives is not a bad film. It isn't a good film either, it is simply there. It did not disappoint me nor did it exceed my expectations. It is, in every way, a standard good cop vs bad guy kind of movie. Early in the film, we are introduced to Illeana Case, the FBI Agent whose job it is to skulk about the crime scenes, acting oddly and spewing out deductions like a slightly more attractive version of Sherlock Holmes - without the cocaine addiction, that is. Unfortunately she is not given a Dr Watson to work with. It might've made her more interesting. A couple of nights after the crime in question another murder occurs, this time with a witness (Hawke). This man is obviously shaken by what he has seen and concerned about his own safety, and perhaps it is this vulnerability that makes Illeana attracted to him.

Everyone plays their roles adequately. Ethan Hawke's performance stands out as a cut above the others, at least for the first hour or so of the movie. Jolie pretty much goes through the motions, as does the rest of the cast. The plot works so long as you don't inspect it too deeply. Viewers who want to be satisfied will be satisfied. Viewers who want to find fault with it will be able to do so. A flashback scene in particular irked me. It showed us that the one scene a little while back didn't happen exactly the way you saw it at the time. It's an example of things happening a certain way because the story needs them to, because if they're honest with the audience we'll start to see through the plot too soon. He didn't get out of the COCK-A-DOODY CAR!!! (remember Kathy Bates in Misery?)

As I've said, Taking Lives isn't really a bad film on its own merits. It's just that it's been done, and done better, many times before. Even hardcore fans of crime dramas will probably only be irritated by the shortcomings and the standard formula found here. The only people I could really reccomend this movie to are those have seen very few movies in this genre. And they should wait for it to come on HBO.

Taking Lives earns 1.5 wombats out of 4


- Oh yeah, one more thing. Those of you who managed to read my rant about little girls dressing like whores will remember the Bratz dolls. Angelina Jolie looks like a Bratz doll, don't you think?


Where's Angelina?