Taking Lives follows in the footsteps of the classic thriller Se7en, meets The 6th Sense. Unfortunately, It is pulled off about as well as a Goosebumps movie. I figured the "Who done it" as soon as the surprise killer was introduced in its alter ego form. The screenplay of this film was horribly predictable, though the acting was utterly delectable. Angelina Jolie played her character to a tee, and Ethan Hawke, still has yet to get his due credit. This movie just doesn't deliver. The formula, "The least likely is the most likely," is personified in this movie more than any movie I've seen in recent memory. Everything in this movie is acted, and played out well, but the story, and not knowing what's coming up next just aren't there. This movie has all the components of a potentially great movie, but it misses in the critical point of the story. I really wanted to think that someone else had done "it" just so I would be surprised when the person was finally revealed. It turns out that it is just the person the story is trying to lead you away from that it ends up being. The reverse psychology just doesn't work here. It's painfully evident where the Director is trying to lead you, and where you are actually going.
Review of Taking Lives
