Critic Reviews
Taking Lives (2004) Rank 3 Reviews
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based on (279) reviews
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San Francisco Chronicle (Carla Meyer)
3 Black Chicks ("Cass")
filmcritic.com (David Levine)
Taking Lives – it’s a title to file under the goofy film names category. It’s a pretty obvious name for a thriller about a serial killer taking the lives of his victims, but the subtext is meant to describe the killer’s desire to ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at filmcritic.com (David Levine)
The King's Room (Paul Perkins)
Identity theft is a big problem is our country people are
stealing other people social security numbers and credit cars and other personal
stuff it happens a lot on the internet.
Top FBI profiler, Special Agent
Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie) ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at The King's Room (Paul Perkins)
Variety (Todd McCarthy)
A somber, absorbing thriller that treads familiar psycho serial killer terrain with style. Elegantly made and comparatively restrained in cramming sick and grisly stuff down the audience's throat. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Variety (Todd McCarthy)
Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
A serial killer yarn whose taste and story structure appeals more to mental fascination than to a dependence on baser attractions. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
Orlando Sentinel (Jay Boyar)
While it's not in a league with The Silence of the Lambs , it works in a similarly efficient way. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Orlando Sentinel (Jay Boyar)
Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)
Bangin' Banana (Joe Marchese)
The Boston Phoenix
BeyondHollywood.com - Unrated Version
Film Monthly (Hank Yuloff)
ninth symphony films
Movie Roundtable
DVD Verdict (Joel Pearce)
Fans of the serial killer thriller sub-genre will definitely want to give Taking Lives a rental. If nothing else, it has a great look and some genuinely scary moments. Just try not to guess where everything is going and enjoy the ride. It doesn't have ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at DVD Verdict (Joel Pearce)
DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)
dvdfuture.com (Randy Spiros)
The World's Greatest Critic! (J.C. Maçek III)
Reel.com (Sarah Chauncey)
DVD Net (Chris Hore)
UGO Screenwriter's Voice
Frank's Reel Reviews
The Popkorn Junkie
Philadelphia Inquirer
At a certain point in the evolution of cinema, bright, able-bodied actors and directors are going to find better things to do with their time than rehash stylishly grim serial-killer thrillers such as Seven and The Silence of the Lambs. As ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer
JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
This isn't a film that's likely to go into anyone's 'Top 10 Thrillers of All-Time' list or inspire any major enthusiasm from fans of the genre, but on this night, going into my screening with the lowest of expectations, it held my interest throughout, ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
UpcomingDiscs.com (David Annandale)
Chart Magazine
The premise of Taking Lives is not very promising: beautiful serial killer profiler (Angelina Jolie) tangles with brilliant serial killer in a complex pas de deux. Haven’t we seen this before? Isn’t this sort of Silence Of The Lambs, with a more ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Chart Magazine
The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)
Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie) is an FBI profiler who immerses herself in her cases. She eats alone in an elegant hotel room, staring at photos of crime scenes and corpses. When construction equipment uncovers a dead body, she lies down in the muddy pit ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)
Entertainment Ave!
Movieman's Guide to the Movies (The Movieman)
"He would kill to be you." Not if he were in that theater, he wouldn't.
You can chalk up the newest Angelina Jolie thriller, Taking Lives as another movie with one too many twists that not only misleads the audience (which is the purpose of a twist, ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Movieman's Guide to the Movies (The Movieman)
ToxicUniverse.com (Rachel Gordon)
For fans of the crime genre, or even a film in which a woman is allowed to be a strong, but fallible, key protagonist, ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at ToxicUniverse.com (Rachel Gordon)
Globe and Mail (Stephen Cole)
Best of all, it doesn't star Ashley Judd, who has made a wearying specialty out of playing tough-tender female cops. Danger-prone Angelina Jolie is on the case here -- an improvement that pays big dividends throughout. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Globe and Mail (Stephen Cole)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
"Taking Lives" is another one of those serial killer thrillers where the madman is not content with murder but must also devise an ingenious and diabolical pattern so that it can be intuited by an investigator who visits the crime scene and picks up his v ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Eleanor Ringel Gillespie)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
A certain genre of thriller depends more upon style and tone than upon plot; it doesn't matter if you believe it walking out, as long as you were intrigued while it was happening. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Toronto Star
At a time when the word thriller has pretty much lost all meaning (Twisted or Secret Window, anyone?), this Angelina Jolie whodunit actually manages to deliver some rather effective jolts (four, to be precise) and a couple of genuine surprises. While ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Toronto Star
Dallas Morning News (Philip Wuntch)
An above-average thriller. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Dallas Morning News (Philip Wuntch)
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Stephen Cole)
If only Taking Lives had given Jolie a greater foil than Ethan Hawke -- a young Kevin Spacey or Jack Nicholson say -- the film might have been a B-movie classic. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Stephen Cole)
Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)
A socio-political horror film trapped in the body of a game show hostess. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)
The Movie Chicks
A serial killer is on the loose in Montreal - after he kills, he assumes the identity of his victims. The local police chief (Tcheky Karyo) brings in FBI Agent Scott (Angelina Jolie) to help profile the killer. A break in the case occurs when a ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at The Movie Chicks
Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
Taking Lives is a good, near-great film that might seem a lot better if it hadn't been preceded by all of those Judd vehicles -- or if Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling never existed. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
Movie House Commentary
Moovees.com - Cinematic Wasteland (Jay Tierney)
Like many moviegoers last winter, I just never got around to seeing Peter Jackson's King Kong. I'm not saying the film was a flop at the box office, but everyone seemed to agree that it didn't do nearly as well as expected. With the film now on DVD here ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Moovees.com - Cinematic Wasteland (Jay Tierney)
The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)
MovieFreak.com (Rachel Sexton)
Almost Fabulous Movie Reviews
Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
DVD Town (John J. Puccio)
Monsters At Play (Paul Bistoff)
7M Pictures (Kevin Carr)
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Crosswalk.com Movies (Annabelle Robertson)
Dr. Gore's movie reviews
filmdeculte.com (Robert Hospyan)
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
The Trades (Jim Pappas)
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Yes, it's another farfetched serial killer flick, clutching desperately at a new twist to the genre, but the contortions the plot goes through to try to make this premise fly is downright embarrassing. It's a shame too, since Taking Lives does feature goo ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
DVD Fanatic (Mark Turcotte)
Frank's Reel Reviews
Close-Up Film (Richard Dilks)
Reel Movie Critic (Demetrius Payne)
CineScene.com (Ed Owens)
Christian Spotlight on the Movies
CultureDose.net (Rachel Gordon)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Movie-Vault.com ("Le Apprenti")
JoBlo's Movie Emporium (JoBlo)
Dan and Nancy: Now Playing
Supercala.com (John Venable)
Angelina takes off her clothes again...hurrah! ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Supercala.com (John Venable)
This is Lancashire (--)
Box Office Prophets
PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
The Nick Schager Film Project
Cineclub-Filmkritik
Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents
Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)
Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
A thriller that provides jolts - and not enough lasting kick. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
Entertainment Today (Brent Simon)
The best Ashley Judd movie Judd has never made... a labyrinthine serial killer thriller that won’t win admirers for its intellect, but does have sustenance of mood in spades. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Entertainment Today (Brent Simon)
Friday & Saturday Review
Weekly Reviews (Nathan Weinbender) - Capsule
366 Days, 366 Movies (Zeb Navarro)
Reel.com DVD review (Tim Knight)
Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)
MovieJuice Satirical Review
Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
"Caruso succeeds in giving Taking Lives the necessary dark feel and just enough of a drawn out character development needed for a thinking man's thriller." ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)
eFilmCritic Reviews
Political Film Society
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
As far as thrillers go, Taking Lives exists on a level somewhere above that of the run-of-the-mill, routine film that believes unexpected (and often nonsensical) twists are the only way to hold an audience's attention. On the other hand, in ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Premiere (Peter Debruge)
Sexy, stylish, and legitimately suspenseful. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Premiere (Peter Debruge)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
One positive thing that can be said about D. J. Caruso's (The Salton Sea) Taking Lives is that it doesn't feel like a carbon copy of every thriller out there. Perhaps that's because Ashley Judd (the "Judd" role is being played by Angelina Jolie) is nowher ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Steve Rhodes <Steve.Rhodes@internetreviews.com>
Despite a number of startlingly bad movies of late,Taking Livesoffers one inadvertent yet compelling reason why we should still likeAngelina Jolie her sex scene with costarEthan Hawke. As an FBI agent with a savantlike knowledge of serial killers, ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Steve Rhodes <Steve.Rhodes@internetreviews.com>
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
After watching Taking Lives (D.J. Caruso), I felt as if one of my lives had been taken. Caruso's film is a suspense-thriller about a maladjusted young man who kills other males and assumes their solitary but way cooler identities. FBI Profiler Illeana ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Aggressive-Voice.com - Movie Reviews
A mad killer starts taking lives in D.J. Caruso’s “Taking Lives” and it will be up to an FBI agent to help solve the case that’s rocking Canada. Angelina Jolie is Special Agent Illeana Scott, but we’ll just call her Wonderwoman for now. She’s ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Aggressive-Voice.com - Movie Reviews
Detroit News (Tom Long)
Taking Lives isn't bad, really, it just isn't distinctive. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Detroit News (Tom Long)
DVDActive (Paul Cooke)
I was really taken in by this film. It offers a very good story and fine acting. The suspense was top notch and there were times when I sat open mouthed as events transpired on the screen. There have not been too many films that I can honestly say have ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at DVDActive (Paul Cooke)
New York Post (Megan Lehmann)
Joe Lopez
The acting is top notch by the entire cast here, especially Angelina Jolie. She creates quite the complex character, a clear outsider who overly obsesses over her job, to the point where it stops being work and starts being a goodtime hobby. We watch as ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Joe Lopez
Movieman's Guide to the Movies (Brian Oliver)
Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
The movie throws in the usual suspects, showing us some false clues to keep us off balance. The list of suspects is so short, however, there is not much surprise when he is finally revealed late in the film. There are a few nice twists and a couple of ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
DVD Clinic ("The Shootin Surgeon")
With a serial killer on the loose in Montreal, the local cops send out for help from the FBI who ships off expert profiler Illeana Scott (Jolie). Working off a fresh lead given by a quiet art dealer (Hawke), Agent Scott puts her best abilities at work ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at DVD Clinic ("The Shootin Surgeon")
Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)
Think of it as a combination of 'Se7en' without the shocks and Angelina Jolie without her clothes. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)
MovieFreak.com (Dylan Grant)
Taking Lives desperately wants to be Se7en. The similarities are too bold to be ignored. One look at the opening credit sequence should put all doubts to rest. While it tries to create the atmosphere of The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, what we end up ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at MovieFreak.com (Dylan Grant)
MovieWeb (Brian Gallagher)
If anything can be said about Angelina Jolie, that doesn't involve her Billy Bob marriage or her...assets, it's that she plays a bad-ass chick in most of her movies. She's been giving us that sly look of her's since Hackers, and she does it well. ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at MovieWeb (Brian Gallagher)
ShowBIZ Data
Taking Lives , starring Angelina Jolie, Kiefer Sutherland, and Ethan Hawke, is a third film receiving mostly applause -- if not high praise -- from critics. Megan Lehmann in the New York Post describes it as a "smarter than your average serial-killer ...read the complete Taking Lives movie review at ShowBIZ Data
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