Taking Lives

If you want a crime drama that treats its mystery as more than a puzzle, Taking Lives is available in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Stan, and in the UK on Netflix right now. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch Angelina Jolie work — the performance is a masterclass in restraint. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

Taking Lives arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. At its heart, Taking Lives understands what makes crime drama work — character first, plot second. Recruited to assist Montreal police in their desperate search for a serial killer who assumes the identities of his victims, FBI profiler Illeana Scott knows it's only a matter of time before the killer strikes again. Her most promising lead is a museum employee who might be the killer's only eyewitness. Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke lead a cast that gives the tension real weight. It was released in 2004. The plot mechanics of Taking Lives never overwhelm the human cost underneath them. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

If you cannot walk away from a good mystery, Taking Lives will keep you hooked. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Angelina Jolie's performance is the kind that shows up on best-of lists years later. If you have been looking for something to fill the gap left by a recently finished story, this is a reliable answer.