Taking Lives Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)March 19th, 2004
"Taking Lives"
A serial killer may be on the loose in Montreal and the police, led by chief inspector Leclair (Tcheky Karyo), are having problems finding the killer. The chief contacts the FBI for assistance and it arrives in the guise of special agent Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie), a beautiful investigator with an unconventional methodology. The cops on the case, especially detective Paquette (Olivier Martinez), resist the outsider until she starts to find clues about the murderer who is "Taking Lives."
Oscar-winner Jolie crossed the line after winning the golden statuette and went from supporting actor to star. Since crossing over, the caliber of her films and her acting in them has not reached the same level of intensity that she displayed in her early film, "Foxfire' - which, to me, was the performance that was the better precursor for the role that won her the Oscar in "Girl, Interrupted." In "Taking Lives," the actress does not climb to new levels of thesping but does give a focused performance as the offbeat serial killer expert, Illeana. While costumed to keep her voluptuousness to a minimum, the camera, by lenser Amir Mokri, lovingly caresses the actress in frequent, nicely lighted close-up shots.
The story, from the novel by Michael Pye and scripted by John Bokenkamp, is a well-woven tapestry of murders, stolen identities, sibling rivalry and down and dirty criminal investigation. Things start off 19 years ago when young Asher (Paul Dano), on the run from something unknown to us, meets Matt (Justin Chatwin), an aspiring guitarist heading to the west coast to find fame and fortune. When their bus breaks down, the pair buy an old clunker of a car and continue on their way. A flat tire holds them up for awhile and, while Matt changes the tire, Asher quizzes him about wife, friends and family. When he learns that Matt has no one, the conniving Asher takes the opportunity to push the clueless musician into the path of an oncoming car. Asher walks, whistling, into the sunset with Matt's guitar and identity.
Flash to the present and Mrs. Asher (Gena Rowlands) rushes to the police after seeing her long missing son, Martin, in a crowded station. She only saw him for a moment but their eyes met and she knew who he was. Meanwhile, artist John Costa (Ethan Hawke) tried to save the life of an assault victim who was brutalized by an unknown assailant who strangled, then bashed in the face of his quarry. The police take Costa in for questioning and agent Scott believes he is telling the truth. The story jumps off from here as the police, with the artist's help, try to track down the killer who murdered countless victims to take their identity after taking their lives.
This is the kind of thriller that uses its complicated, twisting plot to try to keep one step ahead of the viewer. Unlike the other recent serial killer movie, "Twisted," which a two year old could have figured out (well, maybe a four year old), "Taking Lives" tries to give the viewer clues without giving away the punch line. (I did figure out what's going on before the filmmakers got around to telling me, but it wasn't as gawd-awful obvious as the Ashley Judd vehicle.) The adaptation of the material leaves a lot of plot holes that require a stretch of imagination. The ending has the feel of something that the writers pulled out of the air - I could not suspend my disbelief at the finale.
Beside Jolie, in the serviceable role of Illeana Scot, the rest of the cast does well enough, too. Ethan Hawke gives a solid performance as the put upon murder witness who gives his full cooperation in helping the Montreal police track down the killer. Olivier Martinez is two dimensional as the snarling, indignant cop, Paquette, who resents the outsider's intrusion into his case. Jean-Hugues Anglade puts an endearing spin on Paquette's partner, Duval, who immediately likes and respects Scott. Tcheky Karyo, one of my favorite character actors, does yeoman's work as Scott's friend and superior on the case. It's nice to see Gena Rowlands on the screen, even if it is a small part in a serial killer movie - fortunately, it's a classier one than the norm and the veteran actress makes something out of the miniscule role. Keifer Sutherland fans will be, in a word, disappointed. The actor is given little to do except act menacing.
Techs are good with the dark, moody lensing by Mokri giving the crime scenes the gritty sordidness required. Use of Montreal and other Canadian locations to actually depict Montreal is a breath of fresh air. The city has stood in for other metropolises for so long that it's nice to see the beautiful locations get their due (and it looks so clean). Editing, by Anne V. Coates, is without note and, sometimes, choppy. Philip Glass's score fits the bill for the mood and feel of the film
I'm not a prude, not by a long shot, but I found the obligatory sex scene - that's all I'm going to say by way of detail - totally gratuitous and out of place, even with Jolie in the nude. The scene is there for the dual purpose of establishing a plot point later in the film (this could have been handled more delicately and with style) and giving the Angelina Jolie voyeurs their due.
"Taking Lives" is like a piece of bubble gum. You enjoy the chew while there is flavor but once it's gone it is time to spit it out and move on. I give it a C+.
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