Taking Lives (2004) User Reviews

Average but passable French-Canadian -American thriller with a great cast

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 8 April 2004]

This is an acceptable suspense movie full of intrigue , thrills , action , twists and turns . This film is made for Angelina Jolie , she is in each shot. She's beautiful, she plays rightly, she's wonderful .

Howewer , the other main character Ethan Hawke is regularly played , his performance is overdone and warped.

The support cast is featured by French actors : Oliver Martinez who's doing a American curriculum . Furthermore, Tcheky Karyo also has a broad career American ,generally in secondary roles.

Here is also Jean Hughes Anglade who only has French films , but giving a short acting , where he misinterprets a minor role.

Kiefer Sutherland, as always, plays a nasty ,wicked,and evil person. Will he be the killer? .

The picture is professionally directed by D.J. Caruso . He is a good craftsman whose films often have intense car crashes such as Disturbia (2007), and The Eagle eye (2008) and this Taking lives (2004) .

Rating : Acceptable, only for Jolie's fans.

Taking Stuff, from other films

[The_Void · 6/10 · 3 April 2006]

There are a lot of these crime thrillers about. Some, such as Copycat and Insomnia, offer a surprisingly good time; but more often than not, these films are a lot more like Murder by Numbers and The Bone Collector, and unfortunately; Taking Lives is like the latter. That being said, the film certainly isn't all bad; and definitely does have its moments. The plot has little regard for consistency or logic, as it constantly switches gears and throws in any number of events that are clearly there for dramatic effect and haven't been thought out properly. The film is an obvious derivative of successful nineties thriller, 'Seven' and some scenes, such as the entry into the murderer's home have been taken wholesale from the superior movie. The plot has a lot of elements, but we principally follow FBI agent Illeana Scott as she travels to Montreal in order to help their police force with a case that involves a serial killer who, not content to simply murder his victims, takes their identity and lives their lives for a period before moving onto his next victim.

The cinematography is dark and glossy, and sleazy settings mean that it's always a lot like Fincher's earlier flick. The pace of the film is poorly paced, as sometimes it's fast and furious, while at other times it's very dull. At almost an hour and fifty minutes, the film is too long; and a better editing job is definitely in order. The final half hour is of particular note for being poorly judged. It's far too slow, and means that rather than being memorable; the conclusion is tepid and disorientated. The first twist can be seen coming a mile off, and the way that it is revealed disregards logic for dramatic effect. The final twist doesn't work well either, as everything is far too convenient. It seems that in their effort to outdo all the other films in its class, the writers have forgotten that for dramatic effect to work, it needs to make sense. The acting is good enough, and it's obvious why the dark and mysterious Angelina Jolie was cast in the lead. Ethan Hawke, who I seem to like more every time I see him, is good; while Kiefer Sutherland is given nothing at all to do. On the whole, this is worth a watch if you've got nothing better to do; but there are better films that are like 'Taking Lives', than Taking Lives.

Taking Lives Entertaining But Predictable

[tburke85 · 6/10 · 19 June 2009]

Taking Lives is entertaining but predictable from director D.J. Caruso whose admirable in making this thriller but there are flaws that weigh it down. Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke are good as the two leads. Oliver Martinez, Tcheky Karyo, Jean-Hugh Anglade, and Gena Rowlands are effective as the supporting characters but they lack screen time and development because most of the focus is on Jolie. Kiefer Sutherland is solid in a brief extended appearance before being written out of the movie rather quickly. The rest of the cast are okay in their roles but no one stands out. The movie does have a little suspense but it doesn't pay off because the eventual twist I sort of saw coming. There's a little action including a chase that's well executed but the movie could've used more of it. If there was more suspense, action, character development, and a different twist besides the one they went with the film would've have been that bad. Taking Lives starts off decent but after a while it becomes kind of obvious who the killer is and after the reveal there's no more suspense. The pacing was a little slow at times which didn't help either. Lucikly Caruos kept the running time down to 103 minutes so it's not a total waste of time. Overall despite it's flaws Taking Lives is an okay thriller with a little suspense, action, and solid performances by the cast who make this movie worth watching at least once but after it's over you can't help but feel a little disappointed.

If you have intelligence, prepare to have it insulted

[iago-6 · 30 March 2004]

This movie is BAD. I knew going in that it was going to be bad, but I enjoy a good cheesy thriller every now and then. Still, there are some points of badness that really pass the point of any redeeming value. It's a shame, because it had a great cast. Angelina is turning into one of those actresses that one likes in SPITE of her work. It's too bad she can't find something to take advantage of her uniqueness. But anyway.

The rest of this will be filled with COPIOUS SPOILERS, because we're going to pick the movie apart for the benefit of readers who have already seen it.

Oh dear, where to begin?

Let's begin with Ethan. I think it would have been MUCH more interesting to establish from the beginning (or about halfway through) that he was the killer (I mean intentionally. not just by making it so obvious to anyone who has seen a serial killer movie before, or, scratch that, anyone who has seen a MOVIE before). If you knew he was the killer they could develop this thing about WHY did he choose to put himself at the center of this investigation into his crimes? They could have played it off that he picked Angelina beforehand to manipulate. That would have been interesting. As it stands, once it's revealed that he's the killer, the whole entirety of his performance up til that point doesn't make any sense, and misses so many of the intriguing possibilities described above.

This is one of those movies where it seems the writer and director just hope you won't think too hard (or at all) about what happened before the moment unfolding on screen.

There was zero chemistry between Angelina and Ethan. They set up Angelina as this cool and confident FBI agent who's seen it all. why would she fall for this whiny loser artist? Her supposedly falling for him had 'Plot Twist' written all over it, because it betrayed the character, and the audience who had built up good feeling for her in spite of the screenplay. I also resented how she turned into such a broken shell of a woman after the 'shock' of Ethan being the killer was 'revealed.' Come on, the script had built her up as much more psychologically solid than that. If there had been the slightest heat between her and Ethan, we might have believed that her overwhelming passion 'clouded her judgment,' which is what I think we're supposed to believe, but it just fails spectacularly and ends up p**sing the audience off.

And while I don't want to be overly PC, there is really NO excuse for Angelina to say that it's OKAY for another (male) detective to HIT her (hard, too), especially when the reason he's hitting her is for being a weak woman who let her emotions cloud her judgment. I blame Angelina personally for that one, because she should have said 'No WAY am I shooting that.' It would be another thing if it added ANYTHING to the movie. Grrrr..

Ah, what else? I really enjoyed Keifer's 3.7 seconds of screen time.

I LOVED how the detective who is supposedly protecting Ethan--who is being shuttled out of the city because he's in so much danger--leaves him alone in the apartment for like five minutes (while one of the numerous red herrings of course shows up and attacks him) while he just waits outside by the car. Later a character says what a shame it is that a good cop like him got killed, and I was like, 'Good cop my ass! That doofus deserved it!'

And the whole thing about Angelina lying in the grave goes absolutely nowhere.

And who did that guy under the bed turn out to be? Did I miss the cursory explanation?

Someone just needs to issue a moratorium on generic serial killer movies with pointless plot twists for the sake of having plot twists. This is one of those movies with so many pointless twists and so many deliberate deceptions of the audience that eventually you just start to resent it. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a good old cheesy serial killer movie, like The Bone Collector, which was equally ridiculous, but in a fun way. but this one shows contempt of its audience and just pisses me off. Do these films make enough money anymore that they really still need to be made? I guess there has to be SOMETHING to show on airplanes.

And Angelina, seriously, drop me a line and I will WRITE you a script. In the meantime, you know dear, if you can imagine Ashley Judd being in it just as easily as yourself, maybe it's time to steer clear.

Oh, oh dear.

--- Check out website devoted to bad and cheesy movies: www.cinemademerde.com

Creepy, sinister and moody. But SE7EN it ain't...

[Freedomisanillusion · 7/10 · 15 April 2004]

Despite my love of Angelina Jolie, I must say that Taking Lives wasted a lot of good opportunity.

Given that they invented an entirely new lead character, we can't really compare this to the book, so let's look at it as a movie of it's own right.

Jolie plays Illeana Scott, a somewhat strange FBI agent who is called up to Canada to investigate the grisly murders of several young men, all whom have had their identities stolen by the killer. New to the scene is witness James Costa, Ethan Hawke, who soon grows to have an attachment to Scott.

At turns formulaic and down right rip off (the credits are far too similar to be called a homage to SE7EN), Taking Lives is a very enjoyable piece of work.

Beautifully shot, the film wallows in its moods. It knows that it can be creepy, but it wears it out on its sleeves.

Angelina is on top form as Scott, although its a shame that the movie does stoop to the need for quick-sex-scene-with-unnecessary-titty-shot.

Ethan Hawke is bearable as Costa, although he and Jolie have very little chemistry.

Other players, Olivier Martinez, Gena Rowlands, Tcheky Karyo and Jean Hughes-Angalade are also quite good.

The film does have its highs: excellent cinematography, creepy sinister mood, two fantastic adrenaline-jump moments that I never saw coming. But it also has one FATAL flaw, and that is that anyone who has seen any piece of film or television before will be able to guess who the killer is. Still, a fun movie nevertheless.

7/10 If you get the chance to see it in the cinema, watch people's reactions to the 'scissors-scene'. I was amazed to see hoe genuinely horrified even the most hardened viewers in my cinema were.

Entertaining, But Too Easy To Solve

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 21 August 2006]

This was a so-so serial killer movie with good and bad marks. The good marks were mainly for keeping the viewer's interest. You don't fall asleep watching this film. Angeline Jolie looks as good as I've ever seen her, facially and figure-wise.

The film loses marks for an easy-to-solve story, some credibility gaps especially later in the movie and too small a part for Keifer Sutherland to get third billing. He has a very short role in here, hardly worth billing which was a bit disappointing.

Also, the French accents by Jean-Hgues Anglade and Tcheky Karyo were hard for me to understand, forcing me to put on the English subtitles.

Derivative thriller

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 9 May 2008]

The good news is that "Taking Lives" isn't as bad as the reviews on this board would have you believe; the bad news is that there isn't much about it that's a) unpredictable or b) new. It sports a fine cast of Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Gena Rowlands, Kiefer Sutherland, Tchéky Karyo, Jean-Hugues Anglade and Oliver Martinez. Sutherland and Rowlands, however, are completely wasted.

The film begins in the '60s with a brutal murder and then jumps to the present. An FBI profiler (Jolie) is out to nab a serial killer in Montreal who takes on the identity of his victim. A witness to one of the killings, an art gallery owner (Hawke) is cleared of suspicion. While under special protection by the police, he falls for Jolie. A woman (Gena Rowlands) comes forward, claiming to have seen her dead son, which leads the investigation to the true identity of the killer.

As others have pointed out, it's fairly derivative stuff. The filmmakers would have been better off delving more into Jolie's character - a beautiful, unmarried woman who wears a wedding ring to keep the men away and sits in her bath staring at autopsy photos and also pastes them around her bed so she can study them. Jolie gives us the inability to read the profiler but the script doesn't offer much else.

There are a couple of Swiss-cheese sized holes in this film, but mentioning them would give away the plot. For all of its lack of originality, "Taking Lives" offers some suspenseful moments and some good acting.

The good, the bad and the ugly...

[marcusedenellis · 6/10 · 11 July 2005]

PLOT SPOILER IN FIRST PARAGRAPH ALERT!!! Let me say up front that I am a huge fan of Angelina Jolie and I think she brings a great depth to more or less all the characters she plays (with the obvious exclusion of Lara Croft). Here I got the feeling that she was more or less sleep walking through the movie until the point at which she realises that she has slept with the killer. Here I completely bought into her genuine sense of shock at her own ineptitude and lack of judgement.

This is a "by the numbers" thriller which tries hard to throw you off the scent but ultimately fails. I think that is because Ethan Hawke is dreadfully mis-cast and you just don't warm to the guy or his character from the off. It is also a stretch to think that Illeana (Jolie) would fall for him hook line and sinker as he just doesn't carry the charisma that the task would need.

Overall, this film does not serve up the required shocks to drag it into a higher rating but it does have two effective moments. The first one on the mattress; if you've seen the movie you'll know what I mean, and the other is the "slap" scene - genuinely shocking.

This is a movie that tries hard. Everyone in it has been a whole lot better at other points in their careers but overall it's not the trainwreck some would have you believe.

Incidentally, after his turn in Phonebooth - is Keifer Sutherland getting a taste for these walk on cameos?

Insulting to the viewer....

[innocuous · 3/10 · 7 May 2006]

I resent being treated like an idiot by the director/writer.

1. An FBI agent with a minor caliber handgun? Not likely. An agent may whine and moan, but he/she carries a standard weapon.

2. An obvious and proved potential victim/witness is allowed to stroll around, and leave town completely, with minimal police protection/surveillance? I don't think so.

3. Jolie's haircut is so irritating to her eyes that the stray strands make her eyes blink involuntarily in several scenes. Nobody in a responsible position would keep his/her hair in that condition or style.

4. The witness's protective police detail mysteriously drops from four officers inside the building to one patrol car outside the building in less than 24 hours...just as a suspect conceals himself inside the building.

5. Two officer arrive on a scene and search an apartment that may have a perpetrator inside, with plenty of pre-planning and advance notice, but there's not a single uniformed cop for perimeter control, nor a photographer or any sort of support personnel.

6. Cops and Federal agents are trained just like the military...you never do anything alone. The biggest advantage that law enforcement has over criminals is teamwork. It is absolutely unthinkable for a cop or an agent to initiate a pursuit, enter a building, or do just about anything without notifying other what he/she is doing. Cops in particular call in their status and THEN move.

7. During a pursuit, the occupant of a car is CLEARLY holding a heavy-caliber revolver pointed at the driver, but the actual weapon, as seen both before and after the pursuit, is actually a semiautomatic.

I could go on and on, but this is just a dumb and insulting movie. The actors contribute to the whole mess by mugging their way through a bunch of police and criminal stereotypes.

Not worth the two hours it take to watch.

A bit predictable but still enjoyable to watch

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 24 April 2016]

Another movie about a serial killer. Nothing wrong with that to me because i like that kind of stuff. But it's just not as good as some classics in the genre. You almost immediately figure out who the killer is without them telling you and that's a bit of a bummer. There are a couple of twists after they try to mislead you but everyone that watches a lot of serial killer movies will see it coming. Nevertheless Taking Lives is still enjoyable to watch. Angelina Jolie is a beautiful woman and a good actress as well, so what's more to ask. Ethan Hawke plays his role like we are used to. The rest of the cast are also good, nothing to complain about. Taking Lives is certainly a good enough movie to have a nice evening in front of the big screen. Not the best in his genre but it doesn't really matter, it's still good enough to me.

taking liberties, more like

[LunarPoise · 2/10 · 10 June 2008]

At one point in this film FBI agent Jolie goes to the house of the serial killer to talk with his Mum. She twigs that Mum is 'hiding something', and has blocked off a door to a basement room. Jolie breaks in during the wee small hours, and goes down to the room. She lies on the bed. Suddenly the killer's arm crashes through the bed, grips her, and throws her across the room.

I jumped out of my skin.

But then when I calmed down, I thought: What was the Mum hiding that room for? Why was the killer lying under the bed in a deserted house? Why did he punch THROUGH the bed? Why did he not kill Jolie? That one scene is indicative of this whole movie - sloppy, sub-standard, derivative, join-the-dots with a crayon film-making. Throw in a horror-movie 'boo' shout, and never mind if it makes absolutely no sense in terms of the plot.

Ethan Hawke is the bad guy because there is a complete lack of alternatives provided. Blind Freddie on a galloping horse could spot Hawke for the bad guy. The FBI, ehm, 'expert' not only misses it, she gets into bed with him. Ho-hum.

Jolie, Hawke, Sutherland - quality actors who must have had a collective failure of judgment to sign up to this script. A real stinker.

Good, creepy, solid thriller

[Barky44 · 8/10 · 28 March 2004]

Taking Lives is the story of a serial killer who murders loners and usurps their identities for a time before moving on to the next victim. The story centers around an FBI agent (Angelina Jolie) as she tracks the killer down.

I enjoyed this movie. It has the characteristic gore required for such films, but done in a far different way and in a manner that actually contributes to the plot, not just for the sheer shock value. It has the characteristic plot turns and twists designed to keep you guessing, but for the most part they are well thought out and not just gags from over-clever writers. And it does have a rather solid ending. Too many of these "keep you guessing" thrillers disappoint you in the end, this one doesn't.

Angelina Jolie is very solid in this role, redeeming her in my eyes after her stints in the horrible Lara Croft films. The supporting cast is good as well. Ethan Hawke (who plays a man believed to be the next victim) is less believable in his own role, sometimes he plays the character so obviously exaggerated it loses it's substance. This "obviousness" keeps me from giving it a 10, I can only give it an 8.

I am glad to finally have a film actually set in Canada with Canadian characters and locales, and not simply filmed there to save money.

Gritty, Creepy and Dark murder-mystery thriller. A guaranteed good time !

[Panterken · 7/10 · 5 December 2007]

I feel obliged to write this comment after recently watching the film again and finding out the IMDb score.

'Taking Lives' is a crime-thriller reminiscent of The Bone Collector, Along Came A Spider, From Hell, and all those other late '90's murder-mystery thrillers. It's not a one of a kind film, but I think that if you can get past the unoriginality element of this film, you'll find this thoroughly enjoyable.

What makes this film so good that it surpasses most in it's specific genre (murder-mystery thriller) is the very creepy intense atmosphere. I think Glass' score fits very well in every scene and the whole film overall is very gritty, dark and creepy due to the acting and cinematography. You can definitely tell this movie was based on a novel, so I think the adaptation to screen went pretty well. I haven't read the book but I can tell that a lot of dialog was used straight out of the book and some scenes are just too novel-y to be written by screenplay writers. Films based on novels are often excellent and this one proves that again.

It's not award-worthy in any way, but I had one hell of a good time watching it. I'm sure you will to. After all, isn't that all we expect from these kinds of thrillers...entertainment!

Pee Yew! (Spoiler Alert)

[Jelliusbeanus · 2/10 · 3 January 2005]

The movie seemed to start off holding some promise, but after seeing the interrogation room scene, I had only one hope - that Ethan Hawkes character (Costa) was NOT the bad-guy; otherwise the whole movie would be trite. Turns out my hopes were going to be dashed. This is a prime example of how not to construct a thriller plot. When you start piling on the improbable events, eventually the spell of the film becomes broken and you are left just waiting for it to be over. I could drive a semi through the plot holes in this one. One of the worst offending elements of this film would have to be one of the most basic - Motivation. What is the purpose for the character to return to Montreal? The movie implies that the character kills people, and assumes their lives for several years, before moving on. Obviously, he hasn't been found out about yet - why try to set up Keifer Sutherlands character as the fall-guy? What if the special investigator had been a guy? What if Costa hadn't been left alone with the other inspector? What if Costa had been stopped before crashing the car on the bridge, with the corpse next to him with the fatal stomach wound? The only way his character could have succeeded to that point would have been if he could somehow predict the unpredictable, and that is why this film is so bad. The only thrills and chills here are trying to guess what idiotic event will be tacked on meaninglessly next - the end result was NEVER in question. If you want to see a film of this type done right, see Seven. I wouldn't waste your time on this one - here is two hours of my life I won't get back.

Promising, but falls apart

[ecatalan98 · 3 October 2004]

TAKING LIVES is the story of Scott (angelina Jolie) as an FBI agent looking to solve a series of killings along with the Montreal Police department. It appears the killer "adopts" the personality of its victims, going as far as using their credit cards and even paying his taxes. The movie opens with a bang and has a promising outlook. The premise is interesting but, as the movie flows, things fall by the wayside. We never know the real motives behind the supposed killer (played by a very unconvincing Ethan Hawke) and why Keifer Sutherland's character lasts a blink of an eye is really such a waste of talent it made me cringe. The movie holds its pace, with some sudden scares here and there (some cool make up effects for the gore fans) and has a "twist" ending, but all in all, TAKING LIVES could have been a far better film given the main idea of the story. Not bad, but not particularly good either (6* out of 10)

Reasonable Thriller With Many Plot Points

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 23 December 2004]

The special FBI agent Illeana Scott (Angeline Jolie) is called by the Montreal police force to help in the investigation of a serial killer, who destroys the faces and takes the hands off his victims. Montreal Police Inspector Leclair (Tchéky Karyo) has met Illeana in Quantico along six months, and is aware that she can help detectives Duval (Jean-Hugh Anglade) and Paquette (Oliver Martinez) in their investigation. The artist James McKeen Costa (Ethan Hawke) is found with a victim in a park, and claims that he saw the killer. He gives a hint to the police through a sketch of the killer's face, and is protected by Illeana and the Canadian team force against any revenge of the assassin. "Taking Lives" is a very reasonable thriller, having many plot points, but being predictable with no innovations, and very similar to "Seven", "The Silence of the Lambs", "The Bone Collector", "Resurrection" and other "tales" of serial killers. There is a great manipulation of the viewer with one specific scene, when Illeana returns to Washington and which was also included in the deleted scenes (only with more details), but the last twist saves the movie. Further, the character of Illeana is overrated as a special agent sent to another country, being very fragile in many moments. Although having this great flaw in the script, the cast is excellent and the story is not bad, and in the end it is a good entertainment. The soundtrack of Phillip Glass, with the beautiful song "Bad" of the U2, is another good attraction. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Roubando Vidas" ("Stealing Lives")

A good enough thriller

[jamiecostelo58 · 6/10 · 16 December 2006]

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

Good thriller with a good twist

[lisafordeay · 7/10 · 1 April 2021]

Taking Lives is a 2004 thriller starring Angelina Jolie,Ethan Hawke,Gena Rowlands and Oliver Martienz. An FBI agent named Ilena(Jolie) is assigned to track down a killer named Martin Lawner who impersonates his victims that he kills,but will she find the killer or is he right in front of her.

Overall it was a good flick. Alot of manslaughter as well as gory but overall I enjoyed it especially with the twist. Could it be Kiefer Sutherland or could it even be Ethan Hawke.

Good, but not Great

[niall-14 · 6/10 · 18 April 2004]

We'd seen the shorts for 'Taking Lives' back in March and decided that because Kiefer Sutherland was in it, an actor we both like, then it should be a good flick. Well, it was a good flick. Not a brilliant flick or one that would leave you wondering the why/what/when or where of the plot after you leave the cinema, but a good story nonetheless. Kiefer Sutherland didn't play a very big part at all, in fact, I'd probably have to say his part was marginally better than a cameo. Ethan Hawke, as the mercurial character, James Costa and Angelina Jolie, playing FBI special agent Illeana Scott, play the main character parts, and except for the end-play at the movies' end, Ethan Hawke plays his part well. Angelina Jolie, at least from this males perspective, suffers from the 'Lara Croft' syndrome, in that I kept trying to judge just how big, or small, her tits really were. I thought she played her part well, but missed a certain element of what I was expecting from her character, something I can't quite nail down. Maybe it has something to do with a quick comparison between her character and that of special agent Clarisse Starling, played by Jodie Foster in 'Silence of the Lambs', which I found myself performing about half-way through the movie. Unfair I know, but there you have it.

Overall, the story was a good one and well played out by all concerned. It's a pity it was situated in French-speaking Canada, as, even though like most English speakers, I find the French accent smooth and alluring, when you're trying to understand important statements in a mystery murder thriller, being spoken by a Frenchman, it's bloody annoying to have to concentrate so damn hard on what's being said and missing the rest of the action in the scene. All in all, I'd say it was an entertaining Sunday arvo well spent. I give 'Taking Lives' 6 out of 10.

undistinguished thriller

[Buddy-51 · 4/10 · 9 January 2005]

"Taking Lives" is a standard-issue, run-of-the-mill thriller about a serial killer and the FBI agent determined to capture him. When bodies start piling up in the Montreal area, the agent - an expert in serial killer profiling - is brought in to assist the local authorities in finding the culprit. The perpetrator's modus operandi is to target men roughly his own age and build, murder them in cold blood, then assume their identities. Once he grows tired of living their lives, he proceeds to his next victim. Ethan Hawke plays a man who's witnessed the most recent of the killings and who may now be next in line on the man's hit list.

"Taking Lives" sticks pretty much within the confines of its overworked genre. We have the disgruntled local cop who resents interference from a hotshot outsider; the prime suspect who turns out to be just another of the killer's many victims; and the double twist resolution which really isn't all that hard to see coming twenty minutes or so into the movie. Jolie gives her usual wooden performance as the FBI agent, barely managing to register a single convincing emotion throughout the course of the film. Hawke does his best with the material, though there really isn't much he can do with it apart from going through the motions, which he does reasonably well. Gena Rowlands and Keefer Sutherland are also on hand to lend their talents, but since their roles are fairly miniscule, they don't have much of a chance to display their wares as actors.

Although watchable, "Taking Lives" feels like a weak-spined, half-hearted effort in an already played-out genre. It is an instantly forgettable film.

Refreshing Thriller

[Luigi Di Pilla · 7/10 · 12 September 2004]

Since months I have been waiting for Taking Lives coming out on DVD. My expectations were fulfilled and I am happy to add this one to my best of collection. It is well executed and produced. The picture is very clear and the setting creates a very gripping atmosphere. I have never seen Angelina Jolie so nice and professional as in this movie. She was really another one here and much more better than in her last Tomb Raiders. The story takes you on a ride solving many puzzles and lets you guessing all the time what will come next. There is a very dramatic and surprising end but I don't want tell you more. Just watch it !!

My wife and I vote 7.25/10. On IMDb I think it is too underrated with actual rating of 5.6.

Confusing and unsatisfying.

[hondy4 · 2/10 · 15 July 2005]

What a confusing mess of a film. Not recommended.

Angelina Jolie is horrendously miscast as an FBI expert who is helping in a Canadian serial killer hunt. The director has tried to add interest to her superficial and unemotional character by sweeping shots of her eating/bathing alone, with nothing but pictures of victims to keep her company. We do not find out why she does this.

The "psychology" as to the killer's final motive is just as weak. No explanation is offered (as far as I recall; I may have dozed off) as to why the victims were mutilated. And when he's holed up in his mother's house - does his mother know? I chuckled at the Jolie-finds-secret-room-by-breeze-rustling-plant plot, which was lazily stolen from countless other films, e.g. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

The romance scene with Jolie is laughable; it's about as sexy as a piece of damp cardboard, offering only to present the viewer with repeated images of her huge lips. These lips quickly become annoying during the progress of the film; I frequently found myself wondering whether her lips were designed to fit in 16:9 widescreen.

Kiefer Sutherland is utterly utterly wasted. He makes a comically brief appearance, adding nothing to the plot whatsoever. And in the scenes he does make an appearance, he can only be described as looking bored.

Oh - and the denouement. That has to be seen to be believed. Can anyone *begin* to explain this to me? Why, for heaven's sake, does Jolie take to living in a remote farmhouse, faking a pregnancy for 8 months, on the assumption that Hawke may be spying on her? Why not issue a manhunt for Hawke - let's face it, they have a pretty good indication of what he looks like.

An old favourite!

[Majikat76 · 8/10 · 27 May 2019]

A unique M.O for a serial killer makes for an interesting investigation. There's not a lot that can be said about this film without giving away any spoilers, but it's enjoyable, suspenseful in parts and a good thriller.

Not bad

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 4 April 2004]

Thriller about an FBI agent Illena (Angelina Jolie) in France, tracking a serial killer who "takes lives"--he kills people and assumes their identities. They think art dealer Costa (Ethan Hawke) may be next. Illena along with French police men (including a brooding Oliver Martinez) try to protect him.

OK movie--nothing great but nothing terrible. It throws in the obligatory foot chase and car chase and a few nice twists and turns that I didn't see coming. The story has a few good "jump" scenes in it and an incredibly silly sex scene between two characters. It gets a little too violent for me at the end--but there WAS a reason for it.

Jolie is very good considering she has nothing to work with. Hawke is incredible--and I don't mean in a good way. He's overacting a LOT!!!! You just stare in amazement! It's impossible to figure out WHAT he's playing at. Martinez acts sullen most of the movie--but he's incredibly handsome with that cute French accent. Kiefer Sutherland and Gena Rowlands are both wasted in small roles--Sutherland is great, Rowlands isn't.

All in all, a good thriller--worth wasting a couple of hours on a cold, wet afternoon.

For Angelina Jolie's fans only

[christian123 · 4/10 · 21 November 2004]

Angelina Jolie plays Special Agent Illeana Scott, an FBI profiler brought to Quebec to solve the mysteries of a serial killer that assumes the identities of his victims. Working with the disagreeable Quebec police force, Illeana must protect a witness, who is the killer's next potential victim (Ethan Hawke), but their relationship becomes more personal forcing her to question her priorities.

The worst thing a thriller can be is predictable and that's exactly what Taking Lives is, predictable. It was still a decent thriller with some tense moments but the ending is quite obvious. The only reason I rated this film above a five is because of Angelina Jolie. I think she's a terrific actress and she does the best here with a lousy script. She's very convincing and just a treat to watch on screen. If only the rest of the film was as good. It starts off decently enough with a very scary opening. Then it takes a familiar path and everything becomes by the numbers. There was actually one twist that did take me by surprise. It's just too bad that the rest of the film couldn't be like that.

The other performances are quite good and they help keep things moving. Olivier Martinez and Gena Rowlands both give good performances. Kiefer Sutherland was in the movie for about five minutes yet he gets top billing. It's a little silly to hype him up when he actually didn't do anything. The only performance I didn't really like was from Ethan Hawke. He was so unconvincing and so easy to figure out. D.J. Caruso directs and he does a decent job. He isn't that great at creating suspense but he does offer a few chilling and tense moments. There was potential with this project and they really dropped the ball. It could have been a good, stylish thriller but it ends up being a mediocre one. In the end, this film is really just for Angelina Jolie's fans and there are better thrillers out there. Rating 6/10