Taking Lives

What a good movie! We enjoyed this one quite a bit. It has lots of surprises and things to keep you guessing - which is what you go to the movies for. If you can figure out the whole story it's just no fun.

Angelina Jolie (Lara Croft - Tomb Raider) is very good in this movie. In fact I think this is the best acting we've seen her do. Neither of us are Ethan Hawke (Training Day) fans (at all) but he did a very good job in this one. His stock went up a notch for me. Keifer Sutherland is in this too and did a very good job. He's an actor both Robert and I used to not like much but he's earned our respect. He's been in a lot of movies - most memorable recently in Phone Booth and the tv show 24.

In the trailer and commercials they sort of insinuate that Angelina Jolie's character is a female Manhunter, someone who is psychic or at least intuitive and picks up things - like she's shown lying in an open grave and we think she's getting information by doing that. When you see the movie you understand that she's not. She has already done her police work - carefully going over details in photos, measuring, observing, and after all that she does get 'into' the work by lying down and thinking it all through.

Her character is a wonderful police woman role. Maybe it's because I'm a closet Nancy Drew freak (yes, there it is, it's out now) but she plays a smart, observant, woman detective. She does not play the role you've seen a hundred times of the hard drinking, rough talking, trying to be a man, woman detective. I appreciated her smarts and the fact that they made her a complete person, not a one dimensional character.

Gena Rowlands plays the mother of a man who was killed many years ago and may or may not really be dead. She does a great job! I don't remember seeing her much at all since Gloria in 1980, except for a good performance in Paulie in 1998 (a family fav). She doesn't have a huge part but it's strong and key to the story and she plays it to the hilt.

This movie is rated R because of violence and sexuality. Don't take kids. Even young teens.

You don't want to go to the bathroom because you are afraid you'll miss something in this one (and you will) - we jumped several times in our seat (a good sign) and we did alot of whispering (we always sit away from other people in the show - knowing we will whisper and can't help ourselves) but neither of us had the story all figured out until the end. It was engrossing and fun to watch and suspenseful. The popcorn was fresh, the volume was great and we had a wonderful time!

Pueblo Tinseltown was the theater. Overall rating - 3 - FUN!