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Ileana (Angelina Jolie) is an FBI agent tracking a serial killer who steals the identities of those he or she kills. In an alien country (Canada) and city working with an unfamiliar police force, Ileana must try and protect an art dealer named Costa (Ethan Hawke) who may be the killer’s next victim. She has a limited amount of time to try and catch the killer and must do so without exposing Costa to any additional danger. ***

“Taking Lives” has a clever premise that’s undermined by a plot that becomes increasingly difficult to believe and, surprisingly, predictable. How Jolie’s character could be any more dense when it comes to figuring out who the killer is (trust me on this, you’ll know within the first 20 minutes of the film even if you get up to go to the bathroom), is beyond me. Still, any thriller is only as good as its winning leads. While Jolie and Hawke may have looked good on paper, the two have little chemistry on screen and Hawke acts as if he’s in an entirely different movie. Jolie’s low key intensity works very well for much of the film but after nearly two hours, I kept hoping that Jolie would crack a smile, make a joke or generally just cut up on screen. Thrillers work best when there is tension but it’s also good to have a release value as this allows the thriller to continue to build. “Taking Lives” doesn’t quite gel as a thriller but it’s got a number of nicely shot scenes and an outstanding editing job by Anne Coates that will keep you on the edge of your seat (as long as the twists and turns of the plot remain believable). The reality is that for all its promise, “Taking Lives” turns into a very, very average TV movie on one of the cable networks. ---

In reality these three “documentaries” look as if they’ve been sliced and diced from one larger documentary on the making of the film. The 20 minute featurettes aren’t bad but, like the film, they’re very much by the numbers. The first discusses the collaboration in making the film. The second focuses on director Caruso’s work method and approach to the material. The third section focuses on the actors and their approach to the various characters. The last part is the best of the four as it features editor Anne Coates (a master film editor who has made much lesser films into a better experience than this film) in discussion about the editing of the movie. We also get a gag reel (the only place where we get to see Jolie’s beautiful smile), some outtakes and the original theatrical trailer which is much more engaging than the final film. The unrated edition is six minutes longer and includes additional nudity and slightly more graphic sex scenes. ---