Le collectionneur

Detective Alex Cross is an experienced, astute forensic psychologist. He's brought from D.C. to Durham to aid in the investigation of a slippery criminal mastermind with a track record for abducting young women who are both beautiful and talented. It becomes personal when one of the abductees is his niece, and he enlists local doctor and former victim Kate McTiernan (Judd) who escaped the same perpetrator and is the only living person who can identify him. Stylish, atmospheric, well-crafted thriller holds your interest, with some effective twists and strong performances from Freeman and Judd, but it builds to a climax that doesn't quite payoff. Still, a respectable showing for all those involved. **½

Cary Elwes does an incredible job as Nick Ruskin. He acts with perfect emotion for every particular scene and brings a unique feel to the character portrayed in the book. Elwes does superb acting in this film, and really displays his range. After reading the novel, I was surprised by Freemans casting. He impressed me with his comittment to the character, however, during the film he seemed over-dramatic taking away from the realism of the story (what makes the film and novel so terrorizing). Ashley Judd played Kate McTieran well and portrayed Pattersons heroine with the courage and bravery expected. Where the movie falls short is in the script. The adaptation leaves out numerous key elements to the story. What makes the plot so riveting is the psychological trauma Cassanova and the Gentleman caller force onto their captives. With brief scenes portraying the womens captivity, they film takes away from the character development of the murderers and focuses too heavily on superfluous tidbits not necessary to the story. If you are seeking a true thriller, you may want to choose another movie. Although the film is entertaining and the acting decent, the novel is much better and the thriller genre is better utilized in other films.

I didn't really know much about this movie when I saw that it was coming on HBO. I just decided "what the hell" and watched it. Besides, Morgan Freeman is one of my favorite actors. After a few minutes of KISS THE GIRLS, I was instantly glued to the television. It was pretty dark and very suspenseful, but I truly liked it.

Dr. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), a psychologist/detective from Washington DC is sent to investigate a man known as "Casanova", who is kidnapping, imprisoning and occasionally torturing and killing beautiful women. His niece is among one of the kidnapped. Along with the help of Kate Mctiernan, (Ashley Judd) who escaped from the maniac, and Detective Nick Ruskin (Cary Elwes), Cross sets out to find and stop the murderer.

The plot is fascinating and will most likely keep you on the edge of your seat and holding onto the arm of your chair. The acting jobs are very good too. Some parts are very dark and a little disturbing, but it often only helps the story line. Morgan Freeman, as usual, does a great job as the main character. Ashley Judd and Cary Elwes also did impressive performances.

The ending of this movie is pretty good and rather surprising. Go out and rent this whenever you're in the mood for a little suspense, you won't be disappointed.

Kiss the Girls (1997)

Not a bad film, "entertaining" in the sense of sitting back and watching an episode of Bones or CSI. It has more development and higher production values, I guess, than television, but really it is a routine film hardly worth thinking too hard about.

Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman have been together for three movies, and they work together well. I'm not sure I see any special chemistry there, and for my money, it's a Morgan Freeman film. He plays a Forensic Psychologist and is all business, not swayed by stupidity. Judd plays a victim at first, and then in an unlikely twist, joins the investigation. The plot is frankly a little predictable, and you keep thinking there will be this giant twist, but there isn't. You simply don't know exactly who the perp is.

Ah, well, it propels itself all the same, a fun distraction.

Kiss the Girls has its problems, but it isn't a bad film by all means. Actually it is decent, compelling viewing. Starting with its problems, the script does have a tendency to become mechanical, and while the film's story starts off very well and really intriguing, it loses steam at the end for two reasons. The film's logic and credibility does go out of the window as the film's conclusion looms nearer, and then the culprit I felt got revealed too early. On the other hand, the film is very atmospherically shot, the cinematography is really very good, and the music is suspenseful. Plus we have great performances from the ever reliable Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd, as well as from Cary Elwes and some skillful direction. Overall, it is a compelling and intriguing thriller that ran out of steam too early, but there is much to enjoy. 7/10 Bethany Cox