What can I tell you, eighties and nineties serial killer movies have become my guilty pleasure. This doesn’t mean I’m willing to watch any movie featuring a cat and mouse game between a vicious psychopath and a weary detective. I still maintain some standards. And the movie we’re going to be talking about today fits that bill. Kiss the Girls is a simmering and suspenseful thriller about a forensic psychologist trying to catch a serial killer who took his niece. The story offers some refreshing twists although the movie as a whole feels pretty stereotypical. On top of that, it never crosses into horror, remaining a classic psychological thriller.
It’s actually based on James Patterson’s novel of the same name. This is why it feels a bit more thought-out than your garden variety thriller from the same decade. It also places the focus squarely on our lead character, Dr. Alex Cross, and away from the killer. Luckily, he didn’t have to hook up with anyone as I find these romantic subplots tiresome. Of course, the cast led by dependable Morgan Freeman did a terrific job. In my humble opinion, it saved the movie. I know that most will praise his and Ashley Judd’s performance but I would like to mention two guys who almost slipped under the radar here.
Tony Goldwyn (Kuffs, Ghost) showed us his full range along with Cary Elwes who was simply mesmerizing. I remember him from that hilarious nineties parody, Robin Hood: Men in Tights. So, it was quite surprising to see him play a smooth detective here. Speaking of surprises, just take a look at that supporting cast and tell that it ain’t stacked. I’m sure you’re going to recognize most of these actors. And here I am, about two paragraphs in and I feel like I’ve told you everything you need to know about this movie. The pacing is deliberate and you’ll feel like you’re reading a novel and not watching a movie.
You can also count on pretty good production values and excellent camerawork. Towards the end, we’ll even have the opportunity to see an effective use of a split diopter lens. Although Brian de Palma loves to use this little nifty trick, it also appears in a lot of other movies. Recently, I’ve watched Cape Fear, directed by Martin Scorsese, and noticed the same effect. Technically speaking, Kiss the Girls is an excellent movie. With this being said, there were a couple of contrived twists and illogical decisions. The one where Dr. Cross figured out something in the hospital before any of the other doctors was the most ludicrous one.
Moreover, for some of the things he did in the final third of the movie, I feel he should end up in jail. So, try not to look at the script too critically, it’s going to disappoint you. Instead, I want you to pay close attention to the subtle and quite intelligent African-American thread you’ll find just beneath the surface. It felt quite refreshing and reminded me of another nineties thriller, Just Cause. Speaking of similar movies, you should know there’s a sequel to this movie, Along Came a Spider. It stars Morgan Freeman again and it’s just as good as this one. The latest Alex Cross movie was released in 2012.
Starring none other than Tyler Perry, it’s a pretty messy affair not worth your time. You could actually argue that these two movies have a lot in common. The only difference, then, is the lead. Morgan Freeman is such a good actor and elevated this rather pedestrian script into something much more potent, unlike Tyler Perry. Finally, I also must commend Gary Fleder as well. His direction was excellent and you can especially notice this during that chase scene in the woods. It’s so good and intense that it makes all the others much weaker than they actually are.
Director: Gary Fleder
Writers: James Patterson, David Klass
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Bill Nunn, Brian Cox, Richard T. Jones, Tony Goldwyn
Fun Facts: Billy Blanks, one of the most underrated B action movie stars of the nineties plays Kate’s (Ashley Judd) martial arts instructor. You can check him out in TC 2000.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119468/
