It's slick nonsense at best and for the first hour it's watchable.
Comment
03/19/04
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Taking Lives (2004)
23
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:152
Fresh:35
Rotten:117
Average Rating:4.6/10
Consensus: A stylish, but predictable thriller where the only thrills are offered by the sensuous Angelina Jolie.
Theatrical Release:Mar 19, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $32,634,479
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... [More]
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, Olivier Martinez
Director: D.J. Caruso
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Reviews for Taking Lives
It actually does have a clever twist near the end, but it's not the main twist, which is anything but terrific.
03/19/04
Even with its superior cast and for all its early posturing, Taking Lives is just an excuse to stuff human beings into body bags.
03/19/04
Caruso succeeds in giving Taking Lives the sordid, dark feel of Seven without making his flick repugnant and he provides an ending that delivers all the thrills and shocks a serial killer whodunit needs.
03/19/04
Best of all, it doesn't star Ashley Judd, who has made a wearying specialty out of playing tough-tender female cops. Danger-prone Angelina Jolie is on the case here -- an improvement that pays big dividends throughout.
03/19/04
Top CriticTaking Lives isn't bad, really, it just isn't distinctive.
03/19/04
This is more disappointing than it might have been because Taking Lives has a low boil but constant simmer that has been rarely present in previous attempts to revive the insinuating creepiness of The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en.
03/19/04
Top CriticThe film does have its strong points, D.J. Caruso's stylish direction and the fine Philip Glass score chief among them. Unfortunately, both are undercut by a script that strains credibility at every turn.
03/19/04
A thriller that provides jolts - and not enough lasting kick.
03/19/04
Top CriticJolie needs a role with teeth, not one that merely exploits her bee-stung lips.
03/19/04
Taking Lives is actually an effective thriller, on its modest but stylish level.
03/19/04
Top CriticA-list actors and stylish direction by D.J. Caruso conceal the story's weaknesses for a while ... By the pseudo-shocking end, we're half-entertained by the dedicated cast and half-lulled to sleep by the dull, overfamiliar sounds they make.
03/19/04
Taking Lives is so lifeless and beside the point that its DVD version should skip letterboxing and just be shown in a heavy chalk outline.
03/19/04
Top CriticThe filmmakers may sense that their powers are spent because they add a nude scene with Jolie that feels more obligatory than gratuitous.
03/19/04
The chattering couple seated next to me managed to correctly guess every upcoming development -- and they were definitely not on a break from a Mensa convention.
03/19/04
As Angelina Jolie gets better as an actress, her films get worse. It’s not supposed to work that way.
03/19/04
In the hands of a lesser director, Taking Lives could have been a real disaster. It's trite, contrived, and predictable. And yet, I liked it.
03/19/04
If the producers really wanted to capitalize on Jolie's freakazoid factor, why didn't they have her use those gi-normous lips as antennae?
03/19/04
“Taking Lives” tries to give the viewer clues without giving away the punch line.
03/19/04
In spite of the severe (and, I'll admit, outlandishly clever) plot twists in the final reel, Taking Lives is depressingly similar to your average Ashley Judd potboiler.
03/19/04
Latest News for Taking Lives
June 07, 2007:
Has Fox Chosen a "Wolverine" Director?
According to one source, the studio has the "Wolverine" director's job down to a lead candidate ... and a backup choice. More...
March 13, 2006:
Shia LaBeouf Will Star In DreamWorks' "Disturbia"
Per the Hollywood Reporter, Shia LaBeouf ("The Greatest Game Ever Played") will star in DreamWorks' new thriller, "Disturbia," which will be that studio's... More...
April 14, 2005:
Actors Sign Up for a Taste of "Blood and Chocolate"
Annette Curtis Klause's "Blood and Chocolate" is being adapted for the big screen, courtesy of MGM/Sony. The Hollywood Reporter says its "about a teenage werewolf... More...
March 08, 2004:
Director D.J. Caruso (The Salton Sea) shows promise. But when’s the last time Jolie starred in a really good movie? 
More...
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