Taking Lives (2004)

1.5 out of 4

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Tcheky Karyo, Olivier Martinez, Gena Rowlands, Kiefer Sutherland

Director: D J Caruso

Time: 103 mins

Viewed: in home theatre

Montreal investigators, headed by Karyo and Martinez, are baffled by a serial killer who takes on the life and persona of his murder victims. FBI agent Jolie is called in to help, but the stakes are raised when she falls for one of the eyewitnesses, played by Hawke, who is himself in danger. Tedious thriller telegraphs almost every twist and turn with amazing lucidity, and each character's life is sucked out by either the script or direction, turning even usually reliable perfomers like Jolie and Hawke into wimpy drones. If you must see a Jolie forensic thriller, try The Bone Collector.

(c) Joe Wong (17 October 2004)