Kiss The Girls: Not That Scary, But Still Good

Reviewed by Vickie, Cinema Geek

Vick's Rating:

= There's two hours of my life I'll never see again. Is it too late to ask for my money back?
= They could have done SO much better. Wait for the video.
= Not bad at all. Some solid work.
= Wow! I'm very impressed. I might go see this one again.
= For the love of all that is good and kind in the world, what an amazing movie!!!

Directed by Gary Fleder

Cast (in credits order):
Morgan Freeman...Alex Cross
Ashley Judd...Kate McTiernan
Tony Goldwyn...Will Rudolph
Jay O. Sanders...Kyle Craig
Bill Nunn...Sampson
Brian Cox (III)...Chief Hatfield
Alex McArthur...Sikes
Richard T. Jones...Seth Samuel
Jeremy Piven...Henry Castillo
William Converse-Roberts...Dr. Wick Sachs
Gina Ravera...Naomi Cross
Roma Maffia...Dr. Ruocco

copyright 1997 by Paramount Pictures

There's nothing more frustrating than a film that bills itself as a thriller, and then isn't actually all that thrilling. While it's stil a decent film and a solid drama, for me "Kiss the Girls" falls into that category.

Based on the novel by James Patterson, the film traces the work of Washington, D.C., forensic psychologist Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) as he works to find a serial killer who may have abducted Cross's niece in Durham, North Carolina. It looks like he'll have his work cut out for him, until the psycho in question kidnaps but fails to keep kickboxing (!) doctor Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd), who quickly goes from pursued to pursuer when she teams with Cross. Together they set out to find the killer and free the other women he's holding in a dank, moldy cellar that would make Martha Stewart pop a cross-stitch. While all this is going on, our antihero relaxes in his damp den and parades his captives out in formal wear (tied to chairs, mind you) to enjoy the subtleties of Bach as played by Cross' aforementioned niece, who happens to be a violin virtuoso.

Throughout the course of the movie's two hours, things go bump in the night, shadowy figures lurk in corners, voices echo in seemingly empty hallways and the camera operators do their best to keep the audience physically uneasy with angles and movements that might require sensitive moviegoers to bring along the Dramamine. Kate, ever the stubborn helper, repeatedly puts herself in the path of danger and Cross, ever the vigilant protector, repeatedly swoops to the rescue.

As a whole, for me, the movie wasn't nearly as suspenseful or scary or riveting as the ads led me to believe. Maybe I've grown desensitized to celluloid scares or maybe I was just so traumatized by the horror that was "Event Horizon" that anything else looks mild in comparison. I don't know. For anyone worried that "Kiss the Girls" is just a retread of "Seven," rest easy, because it isn't -- the gore factor is relatively low, as is the violence, given the subject matter. This is a psychological thriller that delivers more drama than thrills but still has merit based on factors other than how often the audience cowers in fear in their seats.

copyright 1997 by Paramount Pictures

"Kiss the Girls" succeeds mainly because of the stellar performances of its two leads. The always elegant Morgan Freeman (whom one of my colleagues once referred to as "the perfect grandfather") gives another solid performance. Alex Cross is brave without bravura, sensitive without being a pushover, and smart without being a show-off. If I were hunting a serial killer, he'd be the first person I'd call. Ashley Judd is radiant (and not nearly as sweaty as she was in "A Time to Kill") and creates a multi-layered character who kicks ass (literally) in the process. Two scenes in particular -- one in which she has to report grave news to the mother of a sick child, and one where she tries to remember the details of her ordeal -- are standouts as damn fine pieces of acting. Not to mention her face-off with her captor, which is gripping not because of what he might do to her but because of what she might get to do to him.

The film suffers whenever it pulls out overused cinematic cliches. Why is it, for example, that hyper-brilliant psychopaths, who have the ability to concoct elaborate schemes and still blend in perfectly with the rest of society, always end up blathering on (usually sweaty and crazed and waving a weapon) whenever they're finally cornered? And no, I'm not giving anything away by saying that. Does anyone actually think that the killer's going to get away? Not in Hollywood, my friends, and that's part of the reason the suspense is lacking. The familiar devices do not end there, as "Kiss the Girls" drags out some very popular scary-movie tricks: the killer's creepy lair, the stubborn (and usually skeptical) local police chief who resents outside involvement, and the requisite chase scenes where one improbability begets another faster than you can say "He's hiding over there, you fools!"

At some points during the movie, people around me were actually laughing. Now, when people laugh at the killer, the police or the melodramatic dialogue, you know you're in for trouble. Either the movie has to go over the top enough to make the action purposely campy and fun (see "Scream"), thereby meriting the laughs, or it has to get itself back on track pretty soon before people realize they're laughing at things that aren't really meant to be funny (see the Matt Dillon clunker "A Kiss Before Dying"). Happily, "Kiss the Girls" never goes quite that far, but there are moments when the action and the dialogue do get a little far-fetched.

Overall, if you're looking to be scared, and you have a moderate threshold for big-screen thrills, "Kiss the Girls" might not be the film for you. But if you're looking for a respectable drama peppered with some thrills and packed with a couple of powerful performances, grab the popcorn and settle in.

Vick's Video Picks

With Halloween just around the corner, and with theaters seemingly devoid of scary movies (save for "The Devil's Advocate," which could be scary for all the wrong reasons), there are several titles readily available for rent at your local video store that just might do the trick. The much- ballyhooed "Seven," which stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as detectives tracking a serial killer who bases his crimes on the seven deadly sins, lives up to its hype. It's dark, it's creepy, it's scary and it had me covering my eyes on more than one occasion. For more high-brow frights, try the Academy-Award winning "The Silence of the Lambs" and watch earnest FBI agent Jodie Foster match wits with canniablistic killer Anthony Hopkins. Sure, it's been around for a while but, in a dark living room on a cool fall night, it still delivers. Finally, if you like your scares mixed with equal parts laughter, give "Scream" a try. It's high on teens' must-rent lists mainly for its young stars, but still packs enough entertainment to appease even the staunchest horror-movie buff.

Vickie, a self-confessed movie addict, has spent the last few years working at an entertainment magazine in Canada. When she's not toiling away at her computer in the office, she's toiling away at her computer at home-- hacking away at unfinished screenplays and planning her acceptance speech for the Academy Awards.