Brock Landers
12-15-2000, 12:42 PM
"Kiss The Girls" A Brock Landers Overview of A Gary Fleder Film (8/10)
I may be partially biased since I have read…and loved…every one of James Patterson's Alex Cross detective thrillers…keep that in mind…The opening sequence during and before the main credits is great and is a wonderful lead in from the novel "Kiss The Girls"…
If you liked Morgan Freeman in "Se7en", chances are you will like this film. Morgan Freeman stars as Alex Cross, a Washington D.C. police detective who specializes in forensic psychology. Cross can walk into a crime scene and determine all of the "hows" and "whys"…but when his niece mysteriously disappears from her college campus in North Carolina, Cross finds himself involved in the most difficult, and personal, case of his life. Cross learns that the Durham police, lead by Detective Nick Rushkin (Cary Elwes), have been tracking a long series of similar kidnappings…and Cross' niece is only the latest victim. Worse yet, when one of the girls is found dead in the woods, Cross realizes that Rushkin and the others have no clue who the kidnapper is. Enter Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd) an attractive and intelligent young doctor at a local hospital. Kate is knocked unconscious and abducted from her house late one evening, and finds herself held in captivity with the other missing girls, including Cross' niece. The kidnapper, it seems, is a collector. But Kate manages to escape, fleeing into the woods and nearly killing herself in the process. Now she becomes Cross' only hope for catching the kidnapper, a man known only as Casanova…
Based on the best-selling novel by James Patterson, "Kiss The Girls" is one of those films where the journey is more important than the outcome. The performances are all top notch. Like I said earlier, Freeman plays a good detective and is as good as ever in this film (and they are making more in the Alex Cross series…"Along Came The Spider" should be the next film with Freeman as Detective Alex Cross…). Ashley Judd really shines too…in fact, I think her presence in a film's cast speaks volumes as to the quality of the project (in most cases)…I believe her to be one of the most talented young actresses working today (not to mention a great bod). The script is well written and the direction by Gary Fleder ("Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead") is also pretty decent. My major problem with the film is one piece of give-away casting, that really undermines the "surprise" ending…
Overall, if you enjoy a good psychological thriller and first-rate acting, "Kiss The Girls" ought te be right up your wazzoo…
(DVD Note: Considering how dark this film's lighting is, the anamorpic widescreen film transfer is superb, good colors, deep contrast, nice & moody…also make sure to switch over to the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, it's the best…)
I may be partially biased since I have read…and loved…every one of James Patterson's Alex Cross detective thrillers…keep that in mind…The opening sequence during and before the main credits is great and is a wonderful lead in from the novel "Kiss The Girls"…
If you liked Morgan Freeman in "Se7en", chances are you will like this film. Morgan Freeman stars as Alex Cross, a Washington D.C. police detective who specializes in forensic psychology. Cross can walk into a crime scene and determine all of the "hows" and "whys"…but when his niece mysteriously disappears from her college campus in North Carolina, Cross finds himself involved in the most difficult, and personal, case of his life. Cross learns that the Durham police, lead by Detective Nick Rushkin (Cary Elwes), have been tracking a long series of similar kidnappings…and Cross' niece is only the latest victim. Worse yet, when one of the girls is found dead in the woods, Cross realizes that Rushkin and the others have no clue who the kidnapper is. Enter Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd) an attractive and intelligent young doctor at a local hospital. Kate is knocked unconscious and abducted from her house late one evening, and finds herself held in captivity with the other missing girls, including Cross' niece. The kidnapper, it seems, is a collector. But Kate manages to escape, fleeing into the woods and nearly killing herself in the process. Now she becomes Cross' only hope for catching the kidnapper, a man known only as Casanova…
Based on the best-selling novel by James Patterson, "Kiss The Girls" is one of those films where the journey is more important than the outcome. The performances are all top notch. Like I said earlier, Freeman plays a good detective and is as good as ever in this film (and they are making more in the Alex Cross series…"Along Came The Spider" should be the next film with Freeman as Detective Alex Cross…). Ashley Judd really shines too…in fact, I think her presence in a film's cast speaks volumes as to the quality of the project (in most cases)…I believe her to be one of the most talented young actresses working today (not to mention a great bod). The script is well written and the direction by Gary Fleder ("Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead") is also pretty decent. My major problem with the film is one piece of give-away casting, that really undermines the "surprise" ending…
Overall, if you enjoy a good psychological thriller and first-rate acting, "Kiss The Girls" ought te be right up your wazzoo…
(DVD Note: Considering how dark this film's lighting is, the anamorpic widescreen film transfer is superb, good colors, deep contrast, nice & moody…also make sure to switch over to the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, it's the best…)