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Movies / Upcoming / Taking Lives
Taking Lives

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Taking Lives (2004)

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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.

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Dramas

US 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... 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]

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, Olivier Martinez

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, Olivier Martinez, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Tcheky Karyo, Gena Rowlands

Director: D.J. Caruso

Director: D.J. Caruso
Screenwriter: Jon Bokenkamp
Producer: Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann
Composer: Philip Glass
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Taking Lives

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
04/02/05
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Looks great, holds our attention and – despite numerous stumbles – never completely falls on its face.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
03/18/04
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

The best bet might have been to ditch the tedious police procedural and just let the flick turn into the shamelessly jumpy creep fest it was born to be.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
03/22/04
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

Caruso constantly takes the movie down blind alleys while emptying his always-handy crime-movie handbook of every artificial plot device.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
03/18/04
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

Solid genre movie.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
03/18/04
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

...Jolie's Scott is just not tough enough to overcome her incredible beauty and make us believe she can get down and dirty when it counts.

Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
03/19/04
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/21/04
Marrit Ingman
Marrit Ingman
Austin Chronicle

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.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/20/04
Jonathan Crocker
Jonathan Crocker
BBC

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.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
03/19/04
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/21/04
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The curse of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar lives on....With Zen-like purity, Jolie has boiled her acting style down to pursing her lips and darting her eyeballs.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
03/25/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

A near miss of a thriller, but it's still a miss.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
03/18/04
Bridget Byrne
Bridget Byrne
Boxoffice Magazine

Angelina Jolie did a good job but I still can’t get past her “plastic fantastic” look.

Full Review Source: Broomfield Enterprise | comment Comment
06/11/04
Dan Marcucci and Nancy Serougi
Dan Marcucci and Nancy Serougi
Broomfield Enterprise

Jolie is one of those actresses like Ashley Judd who are capable of giving good performances in good movies, but for undisclosed reasons have decided not to.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
03/18/04
Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)

A-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.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
03/19/04
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

Taking Lives is actually an effective thriller, on its modest but stylish level.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
03/19/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An unimaginative, protracted gore-fest that swipes from David Fincher's Seven like a cinematic pickpocket but only comes up with lint.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
03/18/04
Robert K. Elder
Robert K. Elder
Chicago Tribune

Taking Lives serves up one letdown after another -- a serial disappointment if ever there was one.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
03/18/04
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

The film's villain may take fictitious lives, but the film itself takes up real time that could be spent on better things.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
11/02/06
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

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? Opens in new window
More...

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