Taking Lives – ABC Film Challenge – Mystery – T – Taking Lives – Movie Review
Director: D.J. Caruso
Writer: Michael Pye, Jon Bokenhamp (Screenplay)
Cast
- Angelina Jolie (Maleficent)
- Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise)
- Kiefer Sutherland (Mirrors)
- Gena Rowlands (The Notebook)
- Oliver Martinez (Unfaithful)
Plot: An FBI profiler is called in by French Canadian police to catch a serial killer who takes on the identity of each new victim.
Runtime: 1 Hour 43 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Taking Lives starts when the French-Canadian police discover a dead body. Detective Paquette (Martinez) is leading the investigation until FBI profiler Illeana (Jolie) arrives connecting the cases to a serial killer.
One of the prime suspects is artist Costa (Hawke) whom Illeana is keeping an eye on, as something about his doesn’t add up. However, the case ends up taking a dramatic turn when Illeana gets involved in learning the truth.
Verdict on Taking Lives
Taking Lives is a crime mystery thriller following an FBI profiler, trying to track down a serial killer. The killer has known to steal the identity of the people he kills, making it difficult for the authorities to track him.
This is a dark thriller that constantly keeps us guessing. The twisted mind of the killer helps drive the movie forward, as the identity-stealing killer is impossible to track. This creates a mystery that keeps us guessing, as we literally don’t know who the killer could be. However, this does fall slightly short with the lack of suspects shown to us or clues or evidence. While the movie does have great performances from Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke. It doesn’t help give the movie the level of mystery it needs.
Final Thoughts – Taking Lives is a thriller with a big mystery and plenty of twists.