Taking Lives (2004)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

D.J. Caruso

Writers (WGA):

Michael Pye (novel)
Jon Bokenkamp (screen story)

Release Date:

19 March 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

He would kill to be you.

Plot:

An FBI profiler is called in by French Canadian police to catch a serial killer who takes on the identity of each new victim.

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Profiler | Police | FBI | Scissor Stabbing

Awards:

3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 10	8:00 AM	FX
Sat. July 11	12:01 AM	FX

Cast

Angelina Jolie	...	Illeana
Ethan Hawke	...	Costa
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Hart
Gena Rowlands	...	Mrs. Asher
Olivier Martinez	...	Paquette
Tchéky Karyo	...	Leclair
Jean-Hugues Anglade	...	Duval
Paul Dano	...	Young Asher
Justin Chatwin	...	Matt Soulsby
André Lacoste	...	Cashier
Billy Two Rivers	...	Car Salesman
Richard Lemire	...	Québec City Cop
Julien Poulin	...	Québec City Inspector
Marie-Josée Croze	...	Medical Examiner
Christian Tessier	...	Interrogation Officer

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence including disturbing images, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

103 min | USA:109 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA | Australia | Canada

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Japan:R-15 | Ireland:18 | Indonesia:Dewasa | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:18A | Canada:R (director's cut) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hong Kong:III (director's cut) | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:M18 (director's cut) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R | USA:Unrated (director's cut)

Filming Locations:

Chemin du Lac, Knowlton's Landing, Québec, Canada

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

A scene was shot in which Angelina 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.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The three lead police investigators all speak with Parisian French accents. Quebec French is as distinct from Parisian French as British English is distinct from North American English.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Cashier: Where are you going?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Hellboy': The Seeds of Creation (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Inertia Creeps

A good enough thriller

Taking Lives centres around FBI agent Illeana Scott tracking down the killer who assumes his/hers victims identities. I was pleasantly surprised by Angelina Jole's portrayal as Scott; she acts out her role with great style.

I rather enjoyed this movie. It contains many twists and turns made to keep you guessing, and also a rather solid ending. These cat-and-mouse thrillers always seem to work, and Taking Lives should not disappoint in that respect.

The supporting cast act out their roles coherently too although Ethan Hawke was perhaps a little too exaggerating in his part. But special praise should go to Olivier Martinez; a particularly strong and believable performance from the Frenchman.

Taking Lives is a nail-biting thriller with an interesting storyline that should keep most film-goers entertained. However, the film does suffer from having perhaps a few too many over-the-top and exaggerated scenes that were really unnecessary; this is what lets it down to a degree. 6/10