KISS THE GIRLS

(Paramount Pictures)
Director: Gary Fleder
Producers: David Brown, Joe Wizan
Executive Producer: C.O. Erickson
Screenwriter: David Klass, based on the novel by James Patterson
Director of Photography: Aaron Schneider
Editors: William Steinkamp, Harvey Rosenstock

Cast: Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Tony Goldwyn, Jay O. Sanders, Bill Nunn, Brian Cox

Quick Review: This is not SEVEN. This is not SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. KISS THE GIRLS may well be a terrifying book. I can easily imagine that it is -- women abducted and forced to meet their captor's emotional and physical needs in a dungeon-like environment, with the constant threat of murder hanging over them. The problem is that, unlike the two films mentioned above, there is no Oscar-winning actor in a powerful villain role. The atmospheric buildup leads to a scene apparently meant to terrify us -- with the women in evening dresses forced to listen to classical music. Perhaps this is Hollywood's idea of a horrifying evening, but we in public television naturally have a hard time identifying. Then, there's the villain's exposure and the final chase -- which are ludicrous and trite, respectively. Having said that, the film stars Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd, and that gives it some interest.

Rating (on a four-star scale):

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Interview with Morgan Freeman.
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