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 oviegoers have always had a perverse fascination
with serial killers and their heinous acts. The concept of someone hunting
their own species attracts audiences like Paris Hilton to a photo-op.
"Taking Lives" tries to offer a new twist on the genre, and even
though it only partially succeeds, it's still an entertaining thriller.
The title refers to what the killer does in this film
-- murdering someone and literally assuming their identity. When he
outgrows that life, the insane process repeats itself. The killer has been
doing this for numerous years, but this time his luck may have run out.
Tracking him is intuitive agent Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie), armed with
what could be a crucial lead in the case: a young artist has come forward
claiming to have witnessed one of the murders and can even give a drawing
of the assailant's face. Compounding this is the mother of a victim who
claims to have clearly seen her long dead son and he might have murder on
his mind.
Adapted from the novel by Michael Pye by Jon Bankenkamp, "Taking
Lives" is a fairly intelligent thriller. It presents us with an
unusual killer who despises his own life to such a degree he has to hijack
the existence of others. Although there is a fairly weak red herring, the
movie does make up for it with a surprise ending that's a reasonably
satisfying payoff for what's come before.
Angelina Jolie ("Original
Sin") is a luscious fantasy, making you wish you were a mutilated
corpse just to get her undivided attention. Aside from that, she
effectively portrays a gifted investigator sucked into a case that becomes
more and more horrific. In a nice change of pace from bad guy roles,
Tcheky Karyo ("Kiss
of the Dragon") plays a policeman sympathetic to Illeana and
seems to remain on her side even when his colleagues turn against her.
But it is the performance of Paul Dano, seen only in
the film's opening, which is most mesmerizing. As a young version of the
killer, we see the inspiration in his eyes as he figures out how to leave
his old life behind. In the aftermath, you not only see the triumph in
getting away with murder, but a sense of profound relief that he's finally
done it.
Unfortunately the rest of the cast doesn't perform quite as well. Keifer
Sutherland ("Desert
Saints") is completely wasted in a three-minute cameo. It's hard
to rate his performance since he's barely in the film. Oliver Martinez
("SWAT")
is simply annoying and you can't help but wish he'd be the victim of the
next grisly death. Ethan Hawke ("Before
Sunrise") is no bargain either, and his character's sensitivity
seems affected. Also, he's not much of an artist, as his work looks like
it was painted by Bobo the chimpanzee. There's no question he's an
excellent actor, but it certainly isn't evident here. Hopefully in his
next film the talented Ethan Hawke will show up for work instead of
looking like he just woke up.
D.J. Caruso does a good job in the director's chair, keeping an eerie,
bleak, and stylish look to the film. However, he does fail to conjure up
any chemistry between Jolie and Hawke, and the two seem to be on a
perpetual blind date. There's no real tension or sexual heat between them
and you frequently wonder what she sees in the guy. The visuals by
cinematographer Amir Mokri, under the direction of Caruso, are beautiful
and give the Canadian locale a scenic look. Composer Philip Glass is on
target as always with his tense score, and listening to his work is almost
worth the price of a rental.
The director's cut adds only 6 minutes of footage, mostly gratuitous shots
of Jolie's nudity during her love scene with Hawke. On second thought,
maybe that's not so gratuitous after all and we should thank heaven for
small favors. "Taking Lives" is ultimately an entertaining
thriller about the dark side of the human psyche. Viewers may find that
the film treads familiar ground, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. |
