DIRECTOR: Gary Fleder
CAST: Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Tony Goldwyn, Alex McArthur, Bill Nunn, Jay O. Sanders, William Converse-Roberts, Brian Cox, Jeremy Piven, Gina Ravera, Richard T. Jones, Roma Maffia
REVIEW:
Serial killers make dependable villains. From Victorian London's still nameless, faceless Jack the Ripper to cinematic icons like the diabolical Hannibal Lecter, the public has always had a morbid fascination with murderers, and of course an endless string of films has capitalized on this. Many are simply slasher flicks, featuring faceless indestructible killers slicing and dicing hapless teenagers to the bloodthirsty entertainment of the audience. But some of the most interesting- The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, and Seven- focus on the detectives, the investigations aimed at taking vicious killers down before they strike again. Kiss the Girls, an adaptation of crime novelist James Patterson's novel of the same name, belongs in the latter category. There isn't much blood or graphic violence, and what horrors there are are hinted at rather than shown. This is a lean, taut crime thriller that doesn't focus on the killer, but the investigation and the detective out to bring him to justice.
Patterson's protagonist is Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), a highly regarded criminal psychiatrist working in Washington, D.C. Cross is brilliant, studious, observant, a master at picking up on the clues of a case and finding his way to the truth. But this latest case will test not only his detective abilities but his personal willpower. This time he's looking for his niece Naomi (Gina Ravera), a Durham, North Carolina student who has gone missing in the Research Triangle, the territory of a serial kidnapper who calls himself Casanova, after the legendary lover, and has murdered at least three women and kidnapped eight. Cross theorizes- and dearly hopes- that Casanova's primary goal is to collect and control women, not murder them, and that the other women, including Naomi, are still alive. But where? What does he want from them? And who is Casanova? The first help comes from Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd), an aspiring doctor in Durham and the one woman to escape from the killer. Determined to help the other women she left behind, Kate teams up with Cross on a trail that will lead them from Durham to California and back again, uncovering more than they expectedd...and as they draw closer to Casanova's identity and hiding place, their own lives are in increasing danger.
That Morgan Freeman gives a solid lead performance practically goes without saying. Freeman is one of those actors who can walk into any scene and make it seem like it means something, say any line and sound like he knows exactly what he's talking about, playing Cross as a man of long experience and controlled but deep feelings. Freeman is a master at projecting emotion without hardly seeming to make a change in his acting. No tears, no shaky line readings; Freeman just closes his eyes and lowers his head, and we feel like something important as just occurred. In another key dramatic scene, he sits calmly, stock-still, but his stare radiates an intensity and anger bubbling just beneath his carefully controlled exterior. Freeman underplays masterfully. Also good is Ashley Judd as Kate, the strong-willed woman who escapes Casanova and then determines to bring him down, knowing she is risking a second confrontation with her captor. Judd works well against Freeman and makes Kate strong independent and more than a helpless victim.
In the supporting cast, Tony Goldwyn is a plastic surgeon who may have something to do with the cast, William Converse-Roberts is a lecherous college professor, Richard T. Jones (who bears an uncanny vocal resemblance to Denzel Washington) is Naomi's boyfriend, Jay O. Sanders is an FBI acquaintance of Cross who's assisting the local authorities, Brian Cox is the Durham police chief who seems more anxious to nail a suspect than do a thorough investigation, and Cary Elwes and Alex McArthur are a couple of local cops. Any of these characters may have something to do with the kidnappings and murders in question, and the filmmakers make sure that, at one point or another, you suspect almost everyone. Only Bill Nunn as Alex's cousin and colleague, and Jeremy Piven as his friend seem above suspicion. Roma Maffia has a couple scenes as a doctor. The focus stays tightly on Cross and Kate; Casanova is a glimpsed, shadowy figure, and everyone else is kept strictly in the background. Differences from James Patterson's page-turning novel are fairly minor, with the most significant deviation being Cross' age. In the book, not only is Cross closer to Kate's age, there is clearly an underlying attraction between them. Word has it that Denzel Washington was originally considered. The movie has been streamlined, with some unessential scenes thrown out the window, and the climax, while basically the same, is set up a little differently.
The film's focus is more on the investigation than the killer, but a number of scenes work to creepily atmospheric effect, particularly those inside Casanova's underground, dungeon-like lair. There is also Kate's harrowing escape, running with aimless desperation through an endless forest, her pursuer represented only by his enragedd screams from somewhere not too far behind her. This sequence is exceptionally well-handled, and provides the most heart-pounding adrenaline rush in the movie. It's also refreshing to see a thriller where you can't finger the villain within the first twenty minutes. One character is too obviously a red herring, but the plot manages to throw viewers for a loop a few times, and while the fact that we are led to view almost everyone in the supporting cast with some suspicion means Casanova's identity doesn't come as any great shock, it's also not overly easy to narrow down ahead of time.
Kiss the Girls isn't equal to the likes of The Silence of the Lambs; it's not as dark or hard-hitting, and doesn't leave as much of a lasting impression. But as usual, Morgan Freeman is a pleasure to watch, and Ashley Judd provides strong support. Not quite a classic thriller, but a good, suspenseful, involving one that does a nice job of keeping us guessing.
***
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