Review of Kiss the Girls (1997) by Courtney G — 16 Jun 2010

A different kind of serial killer thriller. "Kiss the Girls" is one of my favorite films of this particular genre for many reasons. One being that it has a unique premise about two killers with an unusual but original motive. These killers kidnap young, beautiful, and intelligent women and keep them hostage. The catch is, they act as if these women are objects of love and passion for them to enjoy. If one of these women fight them or fail to cooperate, they are left for dead somewhere in the forest bound to a tree. The two killers call themselves "Casanova" and "Gentleman Caller". Morgan Freeman plays a forensic psychologist named Alex Cross who is desperately searching for the captured women, primarily because his niece is one those women. Ashley Judd plays one of the victims who escaped and is now helping Cross and the rest of the police force track down the killers and find the women. I love Ashley Judd and she is absolutely brilliant in this film. She delivers the depth and emotion her characterd needed to be memorable. She is intense and vulnerable at the same time. We all know that Morgan Freeman can do no wrong. He has such a commanding screen presence that is impossible to miss. Freeman demands your attention and he will not rest until he has every bit of it. Cary Elwes is another favorite actor of mine and he is phenomenal here as one of the detectives on the case. Another impressive actor in this film is Tony Goldwyn, a man with incredible range. This film has a great cast and a fantastic premise that makes this film captivating and completely engaging. "Kiss the Girls" is a superb thriller. It's not quite as graphic and bleak as "Se7en", but it's still a very hard hitting and powerful film that must be seen. I can watch this film over and over again and never be bored by it. This is a spectacular film. "Kiss the Girls" is directed by Gary Fleder and based on a novel by James Patterson.

5*.