A murder spree in Montreal, with the killer embracing his victims' identities, leads to an investigation by the FBI agent Illeana Scott. Her bond with an art dealer is crucial to solving the... Read allA murder spree in Montreal, with the killer embracing his victims' identities, leads to an investigation by the FBI agent Illeana Scott. Her bond with an art dealer is crucial to solving the case.A murder spree in Montreal, with the killer embracing his victims' identities, leads to an investigation by the FBI agent Illeana Scott. Her bond with an art dealer is crucial to solving the case.
- Awards
- 4 nominations total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaA scene was shot in which Illeana 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.
- GoofsThe three lead police investigators all speak with Parisian French accents. Quebec French is as distinct from Parisian French as British English is distinct from New York English.
- Quotes
Martin Asher: That guy was nothing, alright? I didn't take his life, I lived it. I was the best thing that ever happened to that guy. You looked at him, and you saw me, and I looked at you, and I saw you, and we are the same.
- Alternate versionsAvailable in both its R-rated theatrical version (103 min.) and in an unrated director's cut (109 min.).
Nevertheless,there is much that is good,perhaps it was realised that the script was mediocre and everybody tried hard to try to overcome this. Director David T. Caruso gives the film a very stylish feel,with some interesting use of camera angles and colour-check out the opening scene,in which the colour has been altered in some way to make it look somewhat dreamlike. A brief but exciting car chase and a murder in a lift are very well staged and edited. Angelina Jolie turns her unbelievable role into something approaching good,and Ethan Hawke almost matches her,especially near the end. Philip Glass's score is terrifically menacing,and the film is well paced,the first half slow but increasingly suspenseful and uneasy,the second half fast and full of action. There is also one 'jump' which really works well,I won't describe it but think of the hand coming out of the grave in Carrie...... The climax is over a little quickly,and gives us a supposed plot twist which is than proved to be fake. It would have been a lot more interesting if said plot twist was real.
Taking Lives never really delves into the twisted minds of it's two main protagonists nor truly gives a sense of evil as,for instance Seven did. It's one of those films that always seems on the verge of being really disturbing or thrilling and never gets there. Nevertheless,if you like serial killer movies,you're probably like this one,even if you will probably be able to guess much of the plot right from the beginning.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Đoạt Mạng
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $45,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $32,682,342
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $11,458,465
- Mar 21, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $65,470,529
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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