Review of Taking Lives (2004) by Tyler M — 31 Mar 2012

Take my life... Please.

I didn't quite know what to expect when I sat down to watch this...So it didn't fail to meet my expectations, but it didnt really live up to them either.

The Story: There's a killer on the loose...But he's been dead for 20 years...An FBI profiler, is sent to Canada to help track down a killer. What sets this story apart from other films in the genre is the killers motive, living the lives of each of his victims, literally "taking lives" of those he kills. It's a decent idea, and somewhat original, just don't expect a gorefest of a slasher flick. It's really more of a murder mystery, it has its moments of scares, and it's definite moments of shock, but it's the twists and turns keep the story flowing, and the excellent cinematography make it entertaining to watch.

The Cast: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke...A pretty good cast, and some fairly intriguing characters make it a worthy rental. Angelina Jolie proves that sex sells. She's a definate object here, weather she's breathing heavily, wearing a shirt that's strategically missing a top button or two, or simply not wearing any clothes at all...Oh, and she acts a little to...I'm not a big fan of hers, and this film didn't make me any more of a fan of hers, but she played the part pretty good. I never really felt a strong connection with the character, and I don't think that a lot of others will feel a connection either. Ethan Hawke, makes the film better. I enjoyed his nervous performance more than Angelina Jolies over-all performance. He's the one that really makes the film worth watching, although like Jolie, I never really felt a connection with his character. Standard characters here, strong, headstrong woman and an unlikely killer, brought to life with good and sometimes great acting.

One to Five Scale: 3.

A Hitchcockian murder mystery with some great cinematography and a mix of good and bad story telling. It could have been a four had it been a little different in a few spots, or a little more tastefully done. My closest friends know, that if sex or nudity aren't tastefully done in a film than I'd rather not see it done at all. It felt like the sex in the film was just in there to get people to watch it. While it was important for the characters to have sex, and it actually served a purpose here, there's more tastefull and tactfull ways of going about it...Jolies character was interesting enough as she was, they didn't really need to turn her into an object.

Tyler.