Kiss the Girls

Coming after The Silence of the Lambs and Seven, this thriller about a collaboration between two serial killers feels like a pale attempt to cash in on the success of those earlier, better films. That's a pity, because this film certainly has its strengths--particularly in the central performances of Morgan Freeman as a forensic detective and Ashley Judd as a would-be victim who escaped from one of the killers. Director Gary Fleder demonstrates visual flair and maintains an involving undercurrent of tension, but as this adaptation of James Patterson's novel approaches its climax, familiar elements combine to form a chronic case of thriller déjà vu. It's altogether competent filmmaking in the service of a moribund story of competing psychopaths, and by the time the serial killers reach the home stretch of their twisted contest, the movie's dangerously close to Freddy Kruger territory, with a finale that could've been borrowed from any dozen similar thrillers. --Jeff Shannon for Amazon.com. Cast List: Morgan Freeman ... Dr. Alex Cross/ Ashley Judd ... Dr. Kate McTiernan/ Cary Elwes ... Det. Nick Ruskin/ Alex McArthur ... Det. Davey Sikes/ Tony Goldwyn ... Dr. William 'Will' Rudolph/ Jay O. Sanders ... FBI Agent Kyle Craig/ Bill Nunn ... Det. John Sampson/ Brian Cox ... Chief Hatfield, Durham P.D./ Richard T. Jones ... Seth Samuel/ Roma Maffia ... Dr. Ruocco/ Jeremy Piven ... Henry Castillo, LAPD/ Gina Ravera ... Naomi Cross/ William Converse-Roberts ... Dr. Wick Sachs/ Helen Martin ... Nana Cross/ Tatyana Ali ... Janell Cross/ Mena Suvari ... Coty Pierce/ Heidi Schanz ... Megan Murphy/ Rick Warner ... Sgt. Willard/ Billy Blanks ... Kickboxing Instructor/ Dianna Miranda ... Jennifer/ Mary Major ... TV Reporter/ Melinda Renna ... TV Reporter/ Angel Harper ... Reporter/ Alan Wilder ... Reporter/ Dan Cashman ... Reporter/ Patrick Thomas O'Brien ... Reporter/ Brenda Kincaid ... Reporter/ Lonnie McCullough ... Reporter/ Larry Cedar ... Reporter/ Tresha Rodriguez ... Reporter/ Caroline Case ... Reporter/ Loanne Bishop ... Kate's Nurse/ Tim Ahern ... LAPD Sergeant/ W. Earl Brown ... Locksmith/ Brian Brophy ... Swim Team Manager/ Michael Cutt ... FBI Agent at Hospital/ Meta Golding ... Beautiful Girl/ Sadie Stratton ... Beautiful Girl/ Brandi Andres ... Beautiful Girl/ Dana Atwood ... Beautiful Girl/ Justina Vail ... Beautiful Girl Nichole McAuley ... Beautiful Girl/ Tricia Vessey ... Woman at Nepenthe Bar/ John Cothran Jr. ... FBI Agent at Lair/ Robert Peters ... FBI Agent on Robe/ Jill Callahan ... Female Reporter in Durham/ Nancy Yee ... Chinese Grandmother/ Christina Ma ... Chinese Mother/ David Cowgill ... Chief Resident/ Weston Blakesley ... Bellman/ Joe Inscoe ... Large Cop/ Deborah Strang ... Dianne Wainford/ Robert Overmyer ... Competitive Swimmer/ Boise Holmes ... Basketball Player/ Tony Donno ... Eathen, Kickboxer/ Anthony Backman ... Competitive Swimmer/ Jack Kyle ... Competitive Swimmer/ Tracey Walter ... Clerk in Bookstore/ Anna Maria Horsford ... Vickie Cross/ Director: Gary Fleder. Distributed by Paramount Home Video.