Taking Lives (2004)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

D.J. Caruso

Writers (WGA):

Michael Pye (novel)
Jon Bokenkamp (screen story)

Release Date:

19 March 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

He would kill to be you.

Plot:

An FBI profiler is called in by French Canadian police to catch a serial killer who takes on the identity of each new victim.

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Profiler | Police | FBI | Scissor Stabbing

Awards:

3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 11

12:01 AM

FX

Cast

Angelina Jolie	...	Illeana
Ethan Hawke	...	Costa
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Hart
Gena Rowlands	...	Mrs. Asher
Olivier Martinez	...	Paquette
Tchéky Karyo	...	Leclair
Jean-Hugues Anglade	...	Duval
Paul Dano	...	Young Asher
Justin Chatwin	...	Matt Soulsby
André Lacoste	...	Cashier
Billy Two Rivers	...	Car Salesman
Richard Lemire	...	Québec City Cop
Julien Poulin	...	Québec City Inspector
Marie-Josée Croze	...	Medical Examiner
Christian Tessier	...	Interrogation Officer

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence including disturbing images, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

103 min | USA:109 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA | Australia | Canada

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Japan:R-15 | Ireland:18 | Indonesia:Dewasa | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:18A | Canada:R (director's cut) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hong Kong:III (director's cut) | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:M18 (director's cut) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R | USA:Unrated (director's cut)

Filming Locations:

Chemin du Lac, Knowlton's Landing, Québec, Canada

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

A scene was shot in which Angelina drives back to her house with the old pick-up and a branch from a tree falls and breaks the windshield. It took several takes to get the shot, and apparently destroyed the last remaining windshields for the pick-up available anywhere in North America at the time. The scene was not used.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the scene that takes place in Carlisle, PA. a road sign shows routes 322 and 22. Routes 22 or 322 (both of which are US routes, not PA routes as shown in the movie) do not go through Carlisle.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Cashier: Where are you going?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Hellboy': The Seeds of Creation (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Bad

Predictable For Movie Buffs, But Still Enjoyable.

If I had to write a one sentence review for Taking Lives, it would be, "If you have seen a ridiculous amount of thriller movies and have seen all the twists and turns before, then this movie is very predictable, if you haven't, it is worth a look and you may even be surprised." For those that want more, please read on.

I believe the casting for this movie was as close to perfect as they were going to get. Angelina Jolie stars as FBI Agent Illeana Scott. Illeana has both strengths and weaknesses,which are both done in the right way. She is a very smart detective and can pick up clues that many could not and leads the way to many places that the other detectives would never have found. She does not come off as the hardened, tough cop that would have made this movie much worse. Instead, she usually gets the short end of the stick when forced to do physical battle with lowlifes and even other cops. She is flawed and vulnerable but can put up a hell of a fight when needed but relies on her brain to beat a larger and stronger foe. For an example of how to do this the wrong way, see Ashley Judd (of whom I'm also a fan of) in Twisted.

Olivier Martinez plays a character I find hard to like at any part of the film named Paquette. Paquette is a Canadian cop who has issues with bringing the FBI in (I'm not sure if the FBI actually assists in Canadian affairs, but this is just a movie). Olivier seems likable as a person and I'm not familiar with his work, as I'm sure it is mostly French. I'll chalk it up to good acting.

Keifer Sutherland had only what seemed to be a bit part here and could have been used a bit more. He was probably in and out in 2 days of filming.

And finally, Ethan Hawke did a fine job for his role, but I think they could have made a better choice for this character.

As I said earlier, those of us who see many of these types of movies will probably see most of the twists before they happen. Many of them well before they happen. Some of you will know everything that's going to happen before it happens, such as I did, but I still think it was a good story and was entertained. I can honestly recommend this one for at least a rental.