Taking Lives [WS] [Unrated Director's Cut] [Blu-ray]

Overview

A female detective on the trail of a psychotic killer discovers love in a dangerous time in this thriller, based on the novel by Michael Pye. Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie) is a special agent with the FBI who has a reputation for using offbeat methods, but also boasts a strong record as a criminal profiler. Scott is called in by a former Quantico colleague (Tcheky Karyo) to assist two Canadian police detectives, Paquette (Olivier Martinez) and Duval (Jean-Hugues Anglade), who are on the trail of a serial killer who has been doing business in and around Montreal for close to two decades. The murderer has a history of assimilating many aspects of the lives of his victims after he kills them, but there's been a witness to his most recent crime. Art gallery owner James Costa (Ethan Hawke) saw the killer during an assault, and now finds himself working as an only marginally willing decoy for Scott. As Scott and Costa follow the killer's trail, they find themselves becoming attracted to one another, which is not necessarily a comfort to Scott as she finds her quarry moving closer and closer. Taking Lives also stars Kiefer Sutherland and Gena Rowlands.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/07/2009
UPC:	0085391136941
Original Release:	2004
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Home Video
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:49:00
Sales rank:	18,512

Special Features

Crime Lab: A Taking Lives Documentary in 4 Parts: ; The Art of Collaboration; Profiling a Director; Bodies of Evidence; Puzzle Within a Puzzle; Gag reel; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Angelina Jolie	Illeana Scott
Ethan Hawke	James Costa
Kiefer Sutherland	Christopher Hart
Gena Rowlands	Mrs. Rebecca Asher
Olivier Martinez	Paquette
Tchéky Karyo	Leclair
Jean-Hugues Anglade	Duval
Paul Dano	Young Asher
Justin Chatwin	Matt Soulsby
André Lacoste	Cashier
Marie-Josée Croze	Medical Examiner
Christian Tessier	Interrogation Officer
Billy Two Rivers	Car Salesman
Richard Lemire	Québec City Cop
Julien Poulin	Québec City Inspector
Brigitte Bédard	French Reporter
Dominique Briand	Bartender
Alex Sol	Hotel Manager
Shawn Roberts	Desk Clerk
Martin Brisebois	Henri Bisonnette
Gabriel Charland-Gagne	Victim #1
Hugh Probyn	Victim #3
Henri Pardo	Officer Mann,officer Mann
Fabiano Amato	Waiter
Judith Baribeau	Mr. Costa's Assistant
Anne Marineau	Woman in Gallery
Eugenio "Kiko" Osorio	Sandra & The Latin Groove
Paul Chatwin	Soulsby, Justin
Art Bedard	Actor
Philip Glass	Composer
Steven Wallace Lowe	man a Moncton street

Technical Credits

Jon Bokenkamp

Jon Bokenkamp	Screenwriter
Mark Canton	Producer
Bernie Goldmann	Producer
David Heyman	Executive Producer
Bruce Berman	Executive Producer
Vanessa White	Stunts
Gilbert Larose Jr.	Stunts
Eric Bryson	Stunts
Kenny Alexander	Stunts
Annie Carignan	Stunts
Pierre Côté	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Reminiscent of such intense thrillers as The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, this stylish nail-biter provides top-billed Angelina Jolie with yet another eccentric role to add to her impressive gallery of colorful characters. She plays Illeana Scott, a humorless FBI profiler with nearly preternatural abilities. Working with French-Canadian detectives (Tcheky Karyo and Olivier Martinez) investigating a bizarre murder in Montreal, Scott uncovers evidence suggesting the culprit is a serial killer who adopts the identities of his victims. Her best lead is a young man (Ethan Hawke) who claims to have witnessed the murder and now fears he’s targeted for death. The cat-and-mouse aspect of this blood-chilling film is extremely well handled by director D. J. Caruso (The Salton Sea), who relies on his actors to carry the script over several bumpy patches. There is, per usual, a strong “red herring” character and a Big Twist, but in other respects Caruso’s film avoids cliché. Like many movies of its type, Taking Lives won’t stand up under careful scrutiny or post-screening analysis, but it’s extremely well acted by a superb cast and maintains an eerie atmosphere throughout.