Genre: Crime, Thriller, Drama, Suspense, Murder, Serial Killer, Detectives, Psychos, Police, Mistaken Identity, Gore, Betrayal, Investigation
Tagline: He would kill to be you.
Plot: A top FBI profiler, Special Agent Illeana Scott (Academy Award-winner ANGELINA JOLIE) doesn’t rely on traditional crime-solving techniques to unravel the mysteries of a murderous mind. Her intuitive, unconventional approach is often the only way to unlock the identities of the killers for the police to capture.When Montreal detectives handling a local homicide investigation reluctantly ask for an outsider’s help to get inside the head of a cunning serial killer, Agent Scott joins the case. With meticulous insight, she theorizes that the chameleon-like killer is “life-jacking” – assuming the lives and identities of his victims. As the pressure mounts to catch the elusive murderer, Agent Scott’s unorthodox methods alienate her from a territorial police team that feels threatened by her uncanny abilities. Her seemingly cold demeanor belies an unparalleled passion for her work, and she’s at her best when she’s working alone. But when an unexpected attraction sparks a complicated romantic entanglement, the consummate specialist begins to doubt her finely honed instincts. Alone in an unfamiliar city with no one she can trust, Agent Scott suddenly finds herself on a twisted and terrifying journey, surrounded by suspects in a case that has become chillingly
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 "Taking Lives" couldn’t bullshit itself out of a pre-school class with its obvious ploys, ludicrous plot devices, manufactured relationships, vacuous characters, inane turns and an ending that had me laughing my ass off while hurling on the guy sitting in front of me.  -- (Arrow)
It actually does have a clever twist near the end, but it's not the main twist, which is anything but terrific. The style here is straight out of "Seven," though too timid to be equally shocking.  -- (L.A. Daily News)
Taking Lives is the kind of movie that has to have a twist, and it’s about as dumb as they get. And just when you’ve finished shaking your head at how stupid that twist was, there’s another one in the last ten minutes of the film that had me laughing outloud in the theater. 2/10-- (CHUD.com)
But all that aside, it's the believability of a story as well as its added suspense that anchors the best of thrillers, and for the most part, I bought into this tale without whining about major plot holes and even enjoyed a couple of "boo" moments and its sprinkled suspense. The best way to describe this film would be as a "serviceable thriller" with a semi-interesting plotline, semi-interesting characters, a semi-predictable ending and big-ass lips. 6/10-- (JoBlo.com)
"Taking Lives" has visual flair, thanks to the direction of D.J. Caruso and charismatic Quebec locations. But the story, based on a novel by Michael Pye, devolves into a typical manhunt.  --Jami Bernard (New York Daily News)
Although it wants to be another Silence of the Lambs or Seven, at the end of the day Taking Lives is just "shear" entertainment -- and there's nothing wrong with that.--Staci Layne Wilson (Horror.com)
First-rate production values and Angelina Jolie cannot overcome threadbare material.--Kirk Honeycutt (Hollywod Reporter)
Unfortunately, Taking Lives doesn't add any brilliance to the exhausted spot-the-serial-killer psychological thriller--but as uneventful as it is, it does get props for a clever ending. ...With a great zinger at the end, Taking Lives just manages to squeak by as a passable entry in the psychological thriller arena. --Kit Bowen (Hollywood.com)
From a technical standpoint, ''Taking Lives'' is competent and sometimes even impressive. It is cleanly edited and nicely shot -- at times as cool and rich as a York Peppermint Pattie. Beyond that, there is not much to say.--A.O. Scott (The New York Times)
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 large part because of its sub-par resolution, it fails to attain the plateau inhabited by superior efforts. --James Berardinelli (ReelViews)
Angelina Jolie is hot on the trail of a serial killer in this dark ... very dark ... very, very, very dark thriller.--Charles Taylor (Salon)
"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 vibes.  --Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times)
Sure, the film boasts a couple of bogeyman-style starts, but those are the cheapest of cheap tricks.--Michael O'Sullivan (Washington Post)
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| Directed by |
D.J. Caruso
The Salton Sea, Two for the Money, Black Cat Run |
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| Nothing wrong with showing a gal off. This is the new empowerment, and it happens routinely enough with male stars. But in director D.J. Caruso's by-the-slumbers thriller, Jolie looks falsely cool and, frankly, boneheaded. --Desson Thomson (Washington Post)
For all it's worth, Taking Lives is just another bottom-of-the-barrel crime drama. It is dreary and forgettable. The only redeeming quality is Jolie's 'oratorical' sex scene, but that can be viewed on video or DVD. 4/10--'Le Apprenti' (Movie-Vault.com)
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 live the life of those he has killed… until a new and exciting life peaks his interest. The film’s title failed to excite me, but the movie that bears the name surprisingly did.  --David Levine (FilmCritic.com)
This is a movie that almost makes you wonder how important the studios think a decent script is worth to a movie. The theory seems to be that star-power and slick promotion will be enough to make a mint for the studios. When will they realize that this isn't always the case...  --Brian Gallagher (MovieWeb)
Looks great, holds our attention and – despite numerous stumbles – never completely falls on its face. 72/100--Brian Webster (Apollo Guide)
'TAKING Lives" is smarter than your average serial-killer movie, thanks to unusually fleshed-out characters inhabited by a high- pedigree cast. --Megan Lehmann (New York Post)
Taking Lives could best be described as a motion picture from filmmakers far more ambitious and talented than what the script demands. From a strict screenwriting perspective, the movie is threadbare and forgettable, its only novelty coming from a surprising plot twist that arrives far too late in the game to hold much worth. --Dustin Putman (The Movie Insider)
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