Coming afterThe Silence of the Lambs andSeven, 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
Freeman, Judd, and lots of suspense... Based on author James Patterson's best-selling thriller, Kiss The Girls is one of those rare films that translates well from the pages of a novel to the big screen of Hollywood. Such a transition is especially fluid when Morgan Freeman is cast in the role of the leading character. Like Tom Clancy's books (which did well as films with big name stars filling the lead roles), James Patterson's books exhibit immense promise as tinsel-town screenplays. Along Came A Spider is the latest example. But Kiss The Girls can stand on its own as a thrilling murder mystery steeped in suspense...
When Washington DC Detective Dr. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) learns that his niece, Naomi (Gina Ravera), has been kidnapped, he travels to North Carolina in an effort to aid in her recovery. When a pattern of similar events draws authorities to the conclusion that the kidnappings are the work of a serial killer who calls himself "Casanova," Alex Cross begins working alongside Dr. Kate McTiernan, a woman who recently escaped becoming the vicious serial killer's latest victim...
But as Alex Cross and Kate McTiernan get closer to uncovering the true identity of Casanova, a killer who preys solely on young and beautiful women, Kate is yet again targeted by the killer - who's deeply disappointed she escaped the first time. Is Naomi still alive? Will Kate and Alex catch the killer before he catches them? And what is the true identity of this criminal mastermind? Kiss The Girls will keep you guessing until the end with its brilliantly conceived and well authored screenplay...
Ashley Judd exhibits the talents which turned her into a Hollywood star with her role as Dr. Kate McTiernan, but the true show stealing performance belongs to Morgan Freeman for his role as the lead character Alex Cross. Patterson goes to great lengths to build a bond between Cross and his readers in Kiss The Girls, and that character development translates well onto the big screen. Moreover, Freeman is a likeable guy. He speaks in soft, but assertive, whispers. He's always in control of himself, and he plays characters that are generally honest, straight-forward, and humble. How could you not like a guy like that?
Freeman's wide-reaching appeal among audience members adds depth to a movie that would otherwise consist solely of plot (which isn't necessarily bad for a movie in this genre). But that's why Kiss The Girls is a better than average murder mystery. In between the clues and the thrilling suspense sequences, the viewer isn't bored. That results in a more enjoyable movie experience, and that's one of the reasons why Kiss The Girls is a definite must-see film you won't want to miss...
The DVD Report
No! No! No! This is probably the worst thriller... ...I have ever seen! And I mean it! It makes "Taking Lives" look like a classic, and seriously -how many more of these uninteresting, predictable, bad-acted and full-of-flaws- thrillers will Morgan Freeman waste his talent on. He used to be my favorite actor, but now after seeing him in so many thin-plotted "look-like-made-for-tv"-thrillers I've changed my mind. And his contribution in Stephen Kings' "Dreamcatcher" was perhaps his biggest disaster so far (well, perhaps next to this). Not that he is the problem in any of these movies, it's simply just that not even Freeman can save a paperthin-plotted B(!)-thriller like "Kiss The Girls". The problem is not that it resembles you of previous famous thrillers like "Seven" and (especially here of course to) "The Silence Of The Lambs" because thanks to those "Kiss The Girls" starts out well. My first reactions after a well-functioning opening was "this will be good!" Already after the first 30 minutes you can tell it will be better than Morgans' previous "Along Came A Spider". Yes, the movie is great and slowly builds up until...! Well, one of the many girls cidnapped by a "serial"-killer (or whatever) manages to escape the prison-cave, good for her of course -but they make a big point of that this girl has been heavily drugged, and her legs did not carry her far. With the killer behind her she jumps into a waterfall, and is picked up by someone further down the river. Now the killers' "lovenest" located, right. He finds himself in these woods, right? Not far from that waterfall straight up that river right? So the policeforces send out a rescue-theme to find the other victims still trapped in that dungeon-like place that the now only alive witness who has managed to escape the killer not quite can tell is a basement or a tunnel, right? (Puh, this was a long sentence, sorry! But this is such a lowpoint!). No! Instead they keep fooling around, investigating various suspects -and the girl who managed to escape becomes Lara Croft, fearless it seems! Of course they find the tunnel before the credits starts to roll, but come on! So unrealistic it's not even entertaining! A child would shake its' head over this, and it's impossible to see through the fingers here. The movie is "butchered", and becomes like some parody on itself. I find no excuse for this from the moviemakers -and Morgan soon must start to be more "picky" about the scripts they keep sending him. This is embarrassing -and a waste of time. I wanted to turn the damn movie off -and after seing the ending, well, that would've been a clever thing to do! The killer is one of those you've expected as a possibility of course. Freemans' character suddenly looks like a fool, and you don't care if the killer gets away or not!
I will never watch "Kiss The Girls" again! A disaster!A Serial Killer Thriller! This is one of my favorite serial killer movies. The acting is superb, the plot is told very convincingly, and the scary mystery is worth a watch more than once. The acting... some of the best acting by a couple of the best actors in thrillers. morgan Freeman(Se7en/Shawshank Redemption) gives another stunning performance which thankfully, he was recently awarded for. Ashley Judd(Double Jeopardy/High Crimes) gives you acting that is so believable... you want to see her other movies. Cary Elwes(The Crush/Saw) who I thought gave his best performance in what i would say is his best movie, in everyway. Gary Fleder directed this to perfection... another great mystery of his I liked was Don't Say A Word, with (michael Douglas). I never read the book for this, like I hadn't for a lot of movies. Still, I can't compare a movie to a book... I only compare it to what I expected. Kiss the Girls was way over my expectations. It makes Gothika and all the Scream films look ridiculous... being a serial killer mystery like those. If you hadn't watched this movie... please give it a try. I haven't talked about the story one bit, and already you know it sounds surprisingly interesting. It won't be a waste of your money, I promise!
