Today’s quick review: Taking Lives. FBI agent Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie) travels to Montreal to help local detectives Duval (Jean-Hugues Anglade) and Paquette (Olivier Martinez) with a murder case. Their investigation reveals the murder to be the work of a serial killer who takes on the identities of his victims. But the case gets complicated when Scott becomes involved with James Costa (Ethan Hawke), an artist and their sole witness.
Taking Lives is a crime thriller about a serial killer who hides in plain sight. The movie follows Illeana Scott as she digs into the life of Martin Asher, a man who began killing as a teenage runaway and never stopped. Scott’s sharp intuition gives her an edge in the investigation, but as the bodies pile up, she realizes that she is missing something. Taking Lives features a good setup and a decent plot, but it misplays its hand in several ways.
At its core, Taking Lives is a typical serial killer story. The movie features creepy crime scenes, close calls, and clues that contradict each other. Angelina Jolie makes for a fine protagonist as Scott, a sharp investigator who’s far from invulnerable. The twists and turns of the case are enough to make the movie an interesting watch, while Scott’s brushes with the killer give the movie a suitably unnerving atmosphere.
However, Taking Lives suffers from a few flaws that keep it from having the impact that it should. The movie tips its hand too soon about some important information, leaving Scott to catch up with what the audience already knows. These early revelations throw off the pacing of the movie, which is further damaged by some mistimed fake-outs and a couple of dull leads. Finally, in spite of her intelligence, Scott spends too much of the movie behind the curve.
Taking Lives will appeal to fans of the darker side of the crime genre. It is a by-the-numbers serial killer investigation with some good ideas, a pair of skilled leads, and a decent sense of atmosphere. However, the way its plot plays out leaves something to be desired. Taking Lives has all the pieces it needs to be successful thriller, but it assembles them in the wrong order. Fans of the genre will get something out of it, but others may want to pass.
For a more masterful thriller about a serial killer, try Se7en or Zodiac. For one with a similar tone and a more elaborate investigation, try The Bone Collector.
6.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for the makings of a gripping story, hampered somewhat by its execution.