A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Taking Lives

Date of original theatrical release: 2004

Details:

Angelina Jolie (Illeana Scott)

Ethan Hawke

Kiefer Sutherland

Gena Rowlands

Olivier Martinez

Tcheky Karyo

Jean-Hugues Anglade

Director: D. J. Caruso

Score: 0

The Review: Thriller cum murder-mystery.

Experienced FBI profiler Illeana Scott (Jolie) is called in to consult on a murder in Quebec that may be the tip of the iceberg, one in a possible chain of serial killings. The Quebecois team (Martinez, Karyo, Anglade) are not at all pleased with this unwanted intervention. When another murder yields a witness (Hawke), things get muddled quite rapidly, and Scott may be getting involved with the wrong person. The title is explained about half-way through, and turns out to be a clever pun about a bizarre criminal. Good character studies (including a turn by Rowlands as the criminal's mother), if a bit of a downer.

Taken from the novel by Michael Pye, there is a significant degree of cohesion and rightness to its assembly of plot. Well-drawn (even if reprehensible) characters, atmospheric situations and cinematography, but there are problems -- it just didn't quite click for me: the movie doesn't end when you expect it to, and some graphic behavior is out of place.

(1-Jan-05)

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