Kiss the Girls
Forensic psychologist Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. The trail leads to Los Angeles, where the duo discovers that the psychopath may not be working alone.
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- Cast:
- Morgan Freeman , Ashley Judd , Cary Elwes , Alex McArthur , Tony Goldwyn , Jay O. Sanders , Bill Nunn
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Reviews
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it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
There is a particularly insidious predator operating out of Durham, North Carolina. Dubbing himself Casanova, he considers himself a connoisseur of extraordinary women, and holds them prisoner. He actually only kills the feisty ones; the ladies who have the audacity to ignore his "rules". However, he makes a major mistake when he abducts Naomi Cross (Gina Ravera), the niece of Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), a brilliant forensic psychologist from Washington, D.C. Alex, having a personal stake in this mission, vows to identify the sicko, acquiring some much needed help from one young woman, intern Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd), who to date has been the only lady to successfully escape the killers' clutches.For a mainstream thriller from Hollywood, this adaptation of the James Patterson novel is actually pretty entertaining. It's not perfect - far from it. For example, the eventual way that Cross ultimately I.D.s Casanova is laughable. The film is very slick, and extremely well paced, and shies away from graphic violence (for the most part), which squeamish viewers will appreciate. In some ways, it's believable; Cross and compatriots such as his cousin Sampson (Bill Nunn) pursue leads and sometimes run into dead ends. They're not immune from f-ups. Ultimately, "Kiss the Girls" is formulaic fare, and becomes more and more so as it plays out, with your typical Big Hollywood ending where the monster has no choice but to reveal themselves. But there's one fresh plot twist along the way, giving "Kiss the Girls" a bit of an edge. It's directed with some style by Gary Fleder, in his first major effort; he went on to other thrillers such as "Don't Say a Word" and "Runaway Jury".Excellent location shooting helps, as well as an impressively disgusting lair in which Casanova can place his victims.Freeman is an ideal choice for the hero role, projecting his typical soft-spoken sense of authority. Judd shines as a fairly tough cookie who has no intention of being treated as a victim. She also feels a sense of responsibility to her fellow prisoners, harbouring some guilt over leaving them behind. There are lots of familiar faces among the supporting players: Cary Elwes, Tony Goldwyn, Jay O. Sanders, Brian Cox, Roma Maffia, Jeremy Piven, Helen Martin, Tatyana Ali, Mena Suvari, Billy Blanks, etc. Anna Maria Horsford and Tracey Walter appear uncredited.All in all, this works out well, thanks to that cast and crew; the film is a few minutes shy of two hours long, but the time practically flies by, with no filler to have to sit through.Seven out of 10.
The niece of Washington DC forensic psychologist Alex Cross has gone missing in Durham, North Carolina. It is outside his jurisdiction but he goes down to assist with the investigation. It turns out that she was one of eight young women to go missing in the area. Three of them have turned up dead, including one who was found just after Cross got to the area. The local police think they are dealing with a serial killer but Cross isn't so certain; he believes that they are dealing with a 'collector' he is keeping his victims alive and only killed certain of them because they did something to offend him. Not long afterwards he strikes again, this time kidnapping Kate McTiernan, a young doctor. He drugs her and tells her his 'rules' however she manages to escape. This gives Cross and the police a breakthrough; the drug used on her is traced to a plastic surgeon in California, where it emerges a similar series of disappearances has occurred is this the work of one man working both coasts or two men competing with or encouraging each other?In the years after 'The Silence of the Lambs' serial killer films became rather popular with each trying to have its own unique twist on the genre. Here the twist is that the villain is a serial kidnapper rather than a serial killer yes he has killed but that isn't his primary motivation. Like most such films the villain is known by a nickname, this time the self-titled 'Casanova'. The fact that he keeps his victims alive does make a refreshing change and also serves to increase the tension as once a murderer has killed somebody the treat is over. There are some good twists along the way before our protagonists have their inevitable confrontation with the villain. It isn't surprising that Morgan Freeman does an impressive job as Alex Cross; he seems to be good in every film he appears in. He is ably supported by Ashley Judd who gives a spirited performance as Kate McTiernan. The settings add to the atmosphere, notably the location where Casanova keeps his victims; the cellar of a long-gone plantation house deep in a forest. Overall I wouldn't say this is a great film but it is well worth watching if you are a fan of the genre.
The best thing you can say about this predictable thriller is that it passes the time amiably enough, thanks to some fast pacing. Otherwise, it's nothing we haven't seen before, with Morgan Freeman doing his usual detective shtick (see 2001's ALONG CAME A SPIDER for more of this); a post-SEVEN world populated by dark, shadowy sets and a disturbed killer at the centre of the crimes. Although Freeman's investigation is kept interesting and there are some nice, original clues and twists to go along with, it's all very light and fluffy slick stuff which doesn't get the viewer involved. The editing is occasionally poor and the script confusing, not giving us enough time to register what characters are saying before dashing on in a mad panic to the next scene.The killer in the movie wears a Michael Myers-style mask, which makes for a few spooky scenes, and his weird cultured voice is also pretty effective. However, towards the end, the movie just becomes very predictable and the revelation that the killer is a policeman is far too obvious. After SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and SEVEN you would expect the film to be graphic but it isn't really, apart from a cool shooting at the finale. Morgan Freeman is as good as ever as the gruff detective but he isn't given much emoting to do; Ashley Judd is also pretty convincing as the kickboxing doctor who becomes a victim before regaining her strength and fighting back against the killer.The film does make good use of some nice photography, especially in some woodland chase sequences which are nightmarish to watch. Otherwise, it's just an interchangeable film which is easily forgotten, offering up a killer who is neither scary enough or original enough in his crimes to be that threatening, and concentrates on scenes of action rather than gradual plot development as it should. Worth a watch for genre fans or if you catch it on television, otherwise give it a miss. Not scary!
Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Tony Goldwyn, Jay O. Sanders, Gina Ravera and Brian Cox star in this 1997 thriller based on the novel. This focuses on police detective/forensic psychologist, Alex Cross (Freeman) who searches for his missing niece, Naomi (Ravera). He learns she's been kidnapped by a serial killer calling himself, Casanova, the great lover who collects young women and kills them if they break his trust. Judd (Heat) plays Kate McTiernan, a surgeon who also gets taken, but escapes from him and helps Alex search for Naomi. Elwes (The Princess Bride) plays cop, Nick Ruskin, Goldwyn (Ghost) plays former plastic surgeon, William Rudolph, Sanders (Angels in the Outfield) plays Alex's colleague, Kyle Craig and Cox (Manhunter) plays police chief, Hatfield. Freeman and Judd are great in this and together. I recommend this good thriller.