THE AISLE SEAT - "KISS THE GIRLS"

by Mike McGranaghan

We must get at least one or two serial killer movies a year, and a lot of them look the same. The formula is simple: take one psycho with a bizarre obsession (the seven deadly sins, famous serial killers throughout history), add an unlikely duo of crimesolvers (a veteran cop and a rookie, a criminologist and an agoraphobic), toss in some gory killings prior to the explosive ending and - bingo - you've got yourself a thriller. I have just described the plots of two recent serial killer films, Seven and Copycat respectively. You can probably think of a few others that follow that exact formula. On the surface, Kiss the Girls doesn't seem to stray too far off the beaten path, but it does - and the result is the best film of its kind in the last few years.

Morgan Freeman plays Dr. Alex Cross, a Washington, D.C. forensic psychologist whose niece is the latest in a series of young women kidnapped from an area in North Carolina known as the Research Triangle (because of three universities in the region). All the kidnap victims are, in some way, exceptional - musically, academically, or otherwise. Three of the women kidnapped are found dead, tied to trees in a forest. It's puzzling because these women were not killed in the same sequence in which they were captured. The remaining women are still missing. Cross comes to the conclusion that killing is not the primary motive for the psycho (who calls himself Casanova); instead, Cross hypothesizes, Casanova is a collector and the other women are alive somewhere.

Before long, Casanova claims his next victim, a pretty doctor named Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd). A talented kickboxer, Kate is able to escape from Casanova's clutches. She hooks up with Cross, providing him with the information she is able to remember about the strange man who held her hostage. Together, they make several startling discoveries about Casanova's identity and his reason for "collecting" women.

Several things establish Kiss the Girls as a step above other thrillers in the genre, not the least of which is that it has far less violence and gore than pictures like Seven or Copycat had. Instead, the film chooses to focus on psychological violence, showing us not only how one person's mind can become dangerously warped, but also how others can suffer because of it. There is one simple scene that chilled me to the bone; in it, Kate, while screaming for help, makes a shocking discovery about her predicament. I won't spoil it, but while there is absolutely no violence in the scene whatsoever, it scared me more than any gross-out effect ever could. Kiss the Girls takes great pains to make you feel the psychological horror of the situation while still remaining empathetic to the victims. This is a film that condemns the increasing amount of violence toward women in our society.

I found it very easy to get into the story because of its obvious concern for victims, but also because of the quality of the performances. Morgan Freeman (who tackled similar terrain in the offensively brutual Seven) is an actor of great force. He anchors the plot here by being fiercely determined. Although Cross's passion is fueled by the fact that his niece is a victim, you get the feeling from Freeman's performance that he'd care just as much even if a family member wasn't involved. I like the quiet power the actor brings to many of his roles, this one included. He comes across as intelligent and resourceful, yet compassionate.

Matching him step-for-step is Ashley Judd. The actress - who has given powerhouse performances in films like Ruby in Paradise, Smoke, and Normal Life - doesn't turn Kate McTiernan into a helpless victim. Instead, Judd gives her a distinct personality that shows she is a survivor. There's a lot of mental interplay between Freeman and Judd, as both their characters have knowledge of Casanova; Cross's comes from studying others like him, whereas Kate's comes from having directly encountered him. Their on-screen teamwork is fascinating to watch because they inspire one another with their brain power. Judd really excels at playing smart, tough characters, which makes her an asset in this difficult role.

The only thing I didn't particularly like about Kiss the Girls was the identity of Casanova. I can't tell you why I didn't buy this revelation, however, without spoiling the ending, which I refuse to do. So let's just say that it should have been somebody else. Other than that, I found the reasons why Casanova kidnaps women to be psychologically plausible. Although the villain's identity is weak, the two central protagonists are wise and likable enough to guide us through this tense, scary thriller.

( 1/2 out of four)