Le collectionneur

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.

In this modest enough psycho-thriller, once more Freeman plays a policeman on the path of a perverse serial killer, and again the shade is bottomless and the antagonist is ingenious and the atrocities are intended to convey some sort of perverted meanings. Though as commercial and formula-driven as it is, the movie's not a rehash but a fertile piece, based on a Patterson book about a criminal who, the Freeman character perceives, is not killing his quarries, but accumulating them. Often said by moviegoers to be the actor whose presence has the most authority of any of his generation, Freeman has an exceptional bearing on the screen, a particular determination that we believe. He never looks or sound like he's pretending. He never gives a superficial, obvious or distracted impression, and even in movies that aren't that good, he's not guilty by association: You feel he's genuine even as a film may capsize around him.

Freeman plays Patterson's pet character Alex Cross, a forensic psychologist with the Washington, D.C., police, who becomes entrenched in a chain of kidnappings in North Carolina. When his own niece is taken, he flies there and calls on the police department, where he's kept waiting for hours until he ultimately barges into the office of the chief. The victims are being taken by a man who inscribes himself "Casanova," and one of his victims is found dead tied to a tree and "left for the critters to find." Cross questions why there aren't more bodies, and speculates that Casanova is a collector who kills only when he believes he needs to. His niece and her fellow captives must still be alive somewhere. His hypothesis is certified by what comes of extraordinarily sexy local doctor Ashley Judd, who also gives the sometimes humdrum drama a helping of forceful energy.

And what Freeman brings to all of his scenes is a really specific thoughtfulness. He doesn't just listen, he appears to cogitate what he is told, to gauge it. That masterful attribute begets a funny outcome, when other actors will tell him something and then stop to see if he trusts it. And Judd shows us such a boldly defined personality, which makes their dialogue scenes, after she's been developed for awhile, engrossing.

Kiss the Girls was directed by Gary Fleder, whose first feature, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, boasted skill but too much artifice. Here he's more careful and restrained, with a story where the shades and details are as chilling as anything else. Here as in Seven, we get a steady feeling of not being able to see everything we believe we want to, as in a chase through the woods which Fleder makes effectively tense through its efficient use of space, never revealing the distance between victim and pursuer.

When the film is over and we know all of its enigmas, there's one we'd like to know more about: What precisely are particulars of the histrionics between the two most nefarious characters? But being left with such a wringer is much more fulfilling in a way than being given the explanation in the conventional fast-sketch Freudian description. What we're also left with is the genuine feeling of having met two authentically defined people in the leads. Freeman and Judd are so good, you almost wish they'd chosen not to make a thriller at all, had just discovered a way to create a drama really sinking their teeth into their characterizations. All things considered, I would've preferred that movie.

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

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.

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