Taking Lives ***

Cast: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, Gena Rowlands, Olivier Martinez, Tchéky Karyo, Jean-Hughes Anglade
Director: D. J. Caruso

On special assignment, Special Agent Scott (Jolie) heads to Montreal to help an old friend, who happens to be a police captain, catch a serial killer. Her arrival produces mixed feelings within the department, but she is able to immediately get results. Murder witness James Costa (Hawke) is able to provide her with a picture of the murderer, Martin Asher (Sutherland), a man thought dead for 20 years. Asher's mother has also claimed to see her son in Montreal. And then, the hunt is on. The "twist" near the end of the movie wasn't overly surprising (I had guessed it early on), but that doesn't take away from the movie's effectiveness as a thriller/murder mystery. What does detract from the movie is the tacked on "happy ending" of sorts that was probably only added to provide clusure. There was a shocking scene in these final minutes that drew gasps from the audience though. In the end, this is a good movie that could have been a lot better without the added on ending. Credible performances all around, although some of the actors do not get as much screen time as one might expect.