This movie is relevant for several reasons. The first one, is that it's the first movie with Morgan Freeman as the only male lead (Seven had Pitt billed as lead). You can count with one hand the number of movies with african-american leads in the 90’s. This movie also jumpstarted Ashley Judd's film career (she was fresh from 4 seasons in Sisters) and prompted her as a main female lead for about nine movies (including one more with Morgan Freeman). It's also one of the few James Patterson's screen adaptations, and probably the best of them (Along Came A Spider is not as good and Alex Cross is just awful). In retrospective, the problem with Kiss The Girls is that the part that happens in California was re-cut and re-shot by the producers, and it feels rushed and part of a whole different movie. Gary Fleder is a very talented director, but critics felt he was too young at the time (most of his credits were in TV, and this was his second feature), so the critics were very harsh about his gritty visual style, that now happens to be the norm in film and TV. Finally, the film was too dark for the 90's (even with the over-stylish and not explicit shots), both in theme and style and the American audience just wasn't ready for its visual language. In 1997 this movie was released against Titanic, JP2, The World Is Not Enough, Men In Black, Air Force One and The Fifth Element at the same time in the box office, and suffered for it, because the marketing was scarce, too focused on the American public, and Paramount barely spent any money to promote it overseas. It's an excellent dark movie, that just got lost in the glitter.
Obviously not a romantic movie.
I want to start with a bang: This is one of the movies with the most horrific and creepy and intense beginning I can remember to have ever watched. It doesn't loose to time with a slow ramp up, nor is the beginning pure mindless action, but instead very well placed drama and thrilling.
There is some (small) slow ramp up after these scenes, but it is still thrilling throughout the movie until the end.
It was also acted extremely well.
Rating: 10/10 !
Great thriller. Really love Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd in this one!
Shout by Dann MichalskiBlockedParent2019-11-07T21:19:17Z
Full of intrigue, Kiss the Girls is a smart and suspenseful crime thriller. Based on a James Patterson novel, the story follows forensic specialist Dr. Alex Cross as he investigates the disappearance of his niece and comes to discover that she’s become a victim of the serial killer known as “Casanova.” Starring Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, and Brian Cox, the cast is fairly strong (though Judd is a weak link that stands out a bit). There are also some underdeveloped elements of the plot that make it seem a bit contrived at times. However, the directing is well-done and does a good job at creating an atmospheric setting. Additionally, the film is able to be disturbing and violent without becoming morbid and gratuitous. Kiss the Girls isn’t without its problems, but it still delivers a compelling mystery.