Parents' Guide to

Taking Lives

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

A couple of genuine thrills but not for kids.

Movie R 2004 103 minutes
Taking Lives Poster Image

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Kids say (1):

Jolie's character is inconsistently conceived here, forcing her to take on almost as many personalities as the killer, cool professional, tomboy feminist, girlish romantic, and nesting loner. She has to be tough and vulnerable as the whims of the script demand, and that takes some of the steam out of the story.

But director D.J. Caruso and a strong cast make the best of the potboiler material, creating a nicely creepy atmosphere and knowing when to surprise the audience with a shock -- or a laugh -- to release the tension. So if you don't try to make it all make sense, you might find it to be a thriller with a couple of genuine thrills.

Movie Details

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