Taking Lives
Release Date:
March 19, 2004
On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 55/92 |
David Mumpower |
I actually love Angelina Jolie a little bit less after this movie. I didn't know a movie could make that happen...and I have seen Original Sin. |
| 120/126 |
Kim Hollis |
Stupid, stupid predictable film. |
One of America's new female action heroes, Angelina Jolie, takes a break from the *BANG! POW! ZAP!* world of Lara Croft. It appears that she liked playing a police detective so much in the 1999 film The Bone Collector that she decided to take on another law enforcement role. Either that or the money was too good to pass up.
Jolie plays FBI profiler Illeana Scott, who is on the trail of a serial killer. Sounds just like plots we've seen before in Silence of the Lambs, Along Came a Spider, and many others. The twist to this story is that the killer assumes the lives and identities of the people he kills. To aid in her search, Grace has enlisted the help of artist John Costa (Ethan Hawke). He has recently witnessed the serial killer's latest crime, which has caused him to shoot all the way up to number one on the killer's list of potential victims, assuming his story holds up. We're not ruling out Costa as a suspect either, because that Ethan Hawke is shifty little bastard who can't be trusted. Watch your back, Angie!!
The key to the story of Taking Lives is the titular concept. At any point in the film, the chameleon-like killer might be any of the characters. Co-star Kiefer Sutherland is always a front-runner to be the evil guy simply because of his voice, but this will play out not unlike the Denzel Washington thriller, Fallen. Just when the audience believes they know who is currently "possessed" by the body snatcher, he will get a wig and a Queer Eye-esque makeover to suddenly become someone else.
Several film production notes: 1) Many names were sent through the rumor mill for the female lead for this film before finally settling on Jolie, including Cate Blanchett, Gwyneth Paltrow, and *shudder* Jennifer Lopez. 2) The movie was originally supposed to be shot waaaaaayy back in 2000, but filming took place during the summer of 2003. 3) The original director was Tony Scott, who gave way to D.J. Caruso due to new scheduling commitments. (Marty Doskins and David Mumpower/BOP)
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