one of the biggest cliches of any serial killer film is also one of the most believable .
you know , the one where the detective looks at a wall of pictures and other police information , and suddenly spots the clue which reveals who the killer is .
sure , it 's been used over and over , but for some reason , it is always fun to watch .
this cliche pretty much describes the level kiss the girls works on : overused , but always fun .
one of my personal rules about watching a film is not how original the film is , but how it goes around giving its story .
this rule applies highly to kiss the girls .
there is something psychologically stimulating in a well - crafted serial killer movie , and kiss the girls is certainly well made .
however , the whole film screams of unoriginality , and so it relies on the power of its actors and the technical detail to pull it through .
well , not only are the actors capable of pulling it through , but they add so much to the film that nearly every flaw is covered up .
unfortunately , one of the most revealing and rather insulting choices by the filmmakers ( one that seven , a film a lot like this one , knew not to make ) was to put the name of the killer in the opening credits .
that may give the actor credit for the role , but throughout the film , hidden in my mind , i was waiting for him to appear on screen , which spoiled the mystery .
however , credit must be given to the director for suspending this knowledge through most of the film .
plotwise , kiss the girls shows almost no originality .
we are introduced to detective alex cross ( morgan freeman ) , a forensic psychologist , and immediately we are given the cliched scene establishing him as the hero .
he gets a call about a woman who has shot her husband and is now threatening to kill herself .
obviously cross succeeds at getting the gun , but this scene is quickly forgotten during the next scene .
at his house , cross is told that his neice , naomi ( gina ravera ) , has been missing for four days .
this provides the motivation for cross to find the killer , but we are never given a chance to establish the relationship between the two , and as a result , we ca n't sympathize with detective cross .
however , what makes kiss the girls slightly original is the introduction of one of the abductees .
. .
before she is abducted .
dr .
kate mctiernan ( ashley judd , the actress of the judd family )
is a smart , athletic woman , and because of these traits , becomes a target for casanova -- what the serial killer likes to call himself .
because of these character - developing scenes , we care for mctiernan , making the abduction scene all that more suspenseful .
after being abducted , mctiernan wakes up and finds herself in a cell somewhere in the woods .
remembering that the killer gave her certain rules , she decides to break one of them by calling out .
when casanova comes to punish her , she breaks out and escapes by jumping over a waterfall .
after she is found , she begins to help cross find his neice .
from this moment on , kiss the girls takes on the form of every other serial killer film , as the two leads search for the rest of the victims held captive .
many people will compare this film to 1995 's seven , another killer film starring morgan freeman , but i presume that the similarities are intentional .
the screenplay , by david klass , is adapted from the novel written by james patterson , and yet i do n't quite see how this story could have worked in novel form .
what makes kiss the girls so good is the acting and the technical and visual impressiveness .
the cinematography , by aaron schneider , is reminiscient of seven , and sometimes i felt that many of the shots were trying too hard to impress us .
sometimes a simple shot is the best one . however , many of the shots are stunning , and unlike seven , most of them take place during the day , in sunlight .
the scene when ashley judd is running through the forest is extremely well done , in more than one way .
the camera work is terrific , but the editing makes this scene work so well .
the chaotic and mtv - type cutting gives the audience a sense of confusion and unawareness , exactly what judd 's character is experiencing .
however , the best aspect of kiss the girls is its actors .
morgan freeman is one of today 's most powerful and believable actors .
detective cross is a very good character for him , although it is just a similar one to the character in seven .
because of freeman 's powerful presence , he carries half the film by himself .
the other half is carried by ashley judd ,
one of today 's most promising dramatic actresses .
in fact , her performance is better than freeman 's , if that is even possible .
her character is more original than freeman 's , and she handles it wonderfully .
we finally have a female character in a movie like this who does more than just scream .
the supporting cast is highly underdeveloped , but the cast members do as much as they can with it .
cary elwes portrays a cop in north carolina , and unfortunately has scraps for a character .
tony goldwyn fairs slightly better , but
we do n't really get to know his character either .
gina ravera gives a good performance , but again she is n't in many of the scenes .
so as a result of all these small supporting parts , the weight of the film lies on the two leads , and they do a phenomenal job .
some of the best acting of this genre , and some of the best acting of the year .
two other essential aspects of the film are quite good .
director gary fleder does a good job of controlling his actors , but the second half of the film loses believability , especially during the revelation of the killer .
he also does n't handle the suspenseful scenes as a better director would have , losing a lot of tension during many scenes . however , to his credit , he does manage a terrific first half .
part of the blame falls on david klass .
i 'm sure the book developed many of the lesser characters more , but klass focuses on the two main parts .
while this may give the two leads more screentime , many of the small characters are one - dimensional , and the killer , when revealed , is extremely implausible .
thanks to the smart dialogue adapted from the novel , kiss the girls
always seems intelligent .
none of the conversations are laughable , and all move the plot forward without seeming forced .
one of the biggest problems i had with the movie was the motive of the killer .
i blame this mainly on the casting director , because the killer 's motive is because of rejection from women ( or so i assume from the opening monologue ) , but the killer himself is very attractive ( one of my friends is a , shall we say , big admirer of the killer ) .
kiss the girls is rated r for terror , violence , language , and suggested sex .
with all the implausibilities of this film , and with the mediocre second half , kiss the girls somehow manages to thoroughly entertain
.
in fact , i had the urge to see it again just for the performances .
the cinematography adds a lot of mood to the already creepy tone , and the script is usually smart .
this is clearly one of those movies which rely on the acting to pull it through .
morgan freeman is possibly today 's most convincing actor , and ashley judd adds another notch on her acting belt .
i must also say that i loved the ending .
the showdown between good and evil was quite tense , and the resolution of the scene makes almost anyone cheer .
perhaps it may not be possible , but most of the film is n't anyway .
Output: P