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Taking Lives (2004)
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Synopsis: A top FBI profiler, Special Agent Illeana Scott (Academy Award-winner ANGELINA JOLIE) doesn't rely on traditional crime-solving techniques to unravel the mysteries of a murderous mind. Her intuitive, unconventional approach is often the only way to unlock the identities of the killers... A top FBI profiler, Special Agent Illeana Scott (Academy Award-winner ANGELINA JOLIE) doesn't rely on traditional crime-solving techniques to unravel the mysteries of a murderous mind. Her intuitive, unconventional approach is often the only way to unlock the identities of the killers for the police to capture. When Montreal detectives handling a local homicide investigation reluctantly ask for an outsider's help to get inside the head of a cunning serial killer, Agent Scott joins the case. With meticulous insight, she theorizes that the chameleon-like killer is "life-jacking" - assuming the lives and identities of his victims. As the pressure mounts to catch the elusive murderer, Agent Scott's unorthodox methods alienate her from a territorial police team that feels threatened by her uncanny abilities. Her seemingly cold demeanor belies an unparalleled passion for her work, and she's at her best when she's working alone. But when an unexpected attraction sparks a complicated romantic entanglement, the consummate specialist begins to doubt her finely honed instincts. Alone in an unfamiliar city with no one she can trust, Agent Scott suddenly finds herself on a twisted and terrifying journey, surrounded by suspects in a case that has become chillingly personal. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, Olivier Martinez, Jean-Hugues Anglade
Screenwriter: Jon Bokenkamp
Producer: Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann
Composer: Philip Glass
DVD Info
Release:
May 8, 2005
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Widescreen - 2.4
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Additional Release Material:
- Documentary - 1. THE ART OF COLLABORATION
- 2. PROFILING A DIRECTOR
- 3. BODIES OF EVIDENCE
- 4. PUZZLE WITHIN THE PUZZLE
- Outtakes
- Theatrical Trailer
Reviews
Dig deeper than the classy looks and the shovelful of psychological topsoil ... and there's nothing here that hasn't been done before -- and done better.
Another deeply formulaic thriller with high production values and a strong cast slumming their way through an appallingly predictable script.
A production which would rather scare its audience with gore than reel it in via a gripping whodunit.
The film's villain may take fictitious lives, but the film itself takes up real time that could be spent on better things.
Taking Lives won’t kill you, but it will steal precious hours you’ll never have back.
poor excuse for audience to waste time on a thriller whose makers have problems with understanding the meaning of the word "thrill".
Amir Mokri's purposely frantic (ie: jerky) camera work during action scenes irritates, but still 'Taking Lives' is a marginally diverting thriller.
When, at length, the promised climax does arrive, it will leave you gasping in astonishment, provided that you have never been to the movies before.
Take away a couple of good moments at the beginning and the end, and you have a standard TV crime drama.
Caruso sets up an initially intriguing premise, however gruesome, that unfortunately devolves into a welter of aimlessness, too many red herrings and B-movie hammy performances.
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