generationofswine
Kiss the Girls had a heck of a lot going for it.Morgan Freeman, you have to give it a chance. Think about it, has the man ever been young? Yes? No? I've never seen him anything but old, but who cares, I've never really seen him do a bad job either.And now he's the new Leonard Nimoy isn't he? The narrator of absolutely everything. The voice of countless documentaries.Ashley Judd, not exactly a bad actress is she? Sure, in the 90s she may have kinda sorts looked like a clone of Jolie, but she always did a far better job. No matter what the movie she's been solid.Cary Elwes, why isn't he in more movies? He's sort of like a British Errol Flynn, totally fun to watch and a great sense of comedic timing. What was he doing in a movie like this? Who cares, we'll add that to the reasons to9 watch it anyway.And then, in small print, you see the name, you see that name: James Patterson. You almost have to cringe whenever you read it.Ever been on a long flight? You've probably read one of his novels and if you have it's been out of a sick desperation to kill time.James Patterson, yeah, world famous for making the clichéd crime novel. The same clichéd crime novel. Sure, the names change, the crime changes, but in the end it's like the cheap procedurals you watch on TV. Every one you watch is almost exactly like every other one you will and have ever seen.Unfortunately, despite the cast, the James Patterson effect takes hold of "Kiss the Girls" and you walk out of the theater with that irritating sense of deja vu. You've been there before, you've gone to that movie before, and in a few short days this film is going to blend in a confusing mess with all the other films you've seen that were almost exactly like it.
Python Hyena
Kiss the Girls (1997): Dir: Gary Fleder / Cast: Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Tony Goldwyn, Jeremy Piven: Potential chilling psychological thriller representing infliction or violation of its victims. Morgan Freeman plays a psychologist investigating the abductions of women whose bodies are found in the woods. He became involved in the case when his niece went missing. The killer is a collector of young women. The heart of the story regards Ashley Judd's escape through various caves and her recollection of what happened. She assists Freeman with the case in order to track down the missing girls. Intriguing until it becomes all too obvious who the killer is. The ending is a cheat when the killer enters Judd's home and viewers are teased shamelessly with elements such as her passing the killer a butcher knife. This only irritates as oppose to create suspense. Stylish direction by Gary Fleder who previously made Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead. He is alive and whether he was in Denver or not, the thing he wasn't doing was getting a screenwriter who could create genuine suspense here. What works best is the atmosphere and lighting, particularly in the dwelling place Judd finds herself. Freeman and Judd hold their own but Cary Elwes and Tony Goldwyn labor under flat material. Quite eerie even if its theme doesn't quite penetrate like kissing those girls. Score: 6 / 10
LeonLouisRicci
Embracing the right Atmosphere, this is a slightly better than Average Serial Killer Movie that loses some attempted perversity with its lack of exploration into the Misfit Mind of these Human Anomalies. Just what makes them tick, we always ask. Most of the time they are highly intelligent, cunning, and are so out there that they seem like Aliens or Demons in Human form. But here little time is spent on Personality or Character Demystification.It is sacrificed for uninteresting Police Procedures and Crime Scenes and Thriller Movie Clichés. The two Leads, as always, deliver credibility to their Roles, but as sincere and gifted as Ashley Judd may be, this may be a slight bit of Miscasting. Morgan Freeman is fine as the Black Forensic Psychologist Alex Cross, from the Novels.Technically, as Cross points out, this is not a Serial Killer in the (im)purist sense. He is a Collector who Kills only when his Living Dolls misbehave. Then he unfeelingly disposes of them like so many Chatty Cathy's. In the end, it is worth a view, but is not very well thought out and the Script lets the whole thing feel a lot less intelligent than the Characters, on both sides of the Law deserve.
David Love
Any film that starts off with Morgan Freeman (Alex Cross) in the scene and blues playing in the background must be worth watching, mustn't it? The story is that Alex Cross is a cop and forensic psychologist who manages to talk a young woman out of a suicide attempt. He then learns that his niece is missing. He learns that the police think she's among the victims of someone who kidnaps and kills young girls.Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd), one of kidnapped victims, escapes and tries to help Cross find his niece. The film is an odd mix. Good acting by the leads, good camera-work. But somehow, it does not draw you in. You don't ultimately care whether Cross finds his niece or uncovers the killer. And what is the killer's true motive? It's slowly paced but does not develop adequately. However, if you like Morgan Freeman, you'll probably like this and, let's face it, most people do. 6/10
AD
