Review of Taking Lives (2004) by Tim C — 20 Jan 2013

I had high hopes for this thriller after the set up. The film really set the audience up for some entertaining viewing but sadly the opening is the only high point.

David Caruso is not a good director of thrillers. He has made a name for himself in the genre but to be honest the films he have directed don't require high attention spans. He just doesn't create any real emotion and the film lacks any attention to style. This would of been handled better by a director with a better understanding of story.

The cast are pretty poor and give basic one note performances. Ethan hawke is probably the pick of the bunch and gives a better then normal performance.

The biggest issue I found with the plot was the obvious hopelessness of the investigation. When you look at all the victims you can clearly see a pattern, how would the investigators miss such an obvious clue. This is profiling in its first stages.

Overall the film is poorly put together, the score lacks any substance to create a mood. This is how you don't make a thriller.