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Plot holes insult the audience and ruin an engaging beginning

This mystery includes actions by the protagonists that reveal stupidity rather than thoughtfulness. By the third time, I disengaged completely. Numerous times in this so-called "thriller," the good guys seeking the bad guys fail to call in back-up, place themselves unnecessarily in harm's way by failing to act--even when they have the upper hand--and as the plot twists continued, I felt I was being toyed with so that the film could go longer. I became impatient for the end, rather than interested in it. Even the final clue that gave Morgan Freeman the answer was embarrassingly obvious and available. Incidentally,Morgan Freeman is not the problem here, the screenplay itself is.

Still better than average.

This movie is not among the best but still has more to offer than the average thriller. This is mostly due to its cast and fine thriller concept, that however doesn't always gets handled well.Not all plot-lines get handled and wrapped up properly and the movie leaves some loose ends. The movie also picks some not so likely approaches with each story sometimes, which goes at the expensive of the credibility- and therefore also the tension of the movie.It's a movie that had the potential of becoming a real dark and eerie thriller, I mean the concept of the movie would definitely allow this but the movie gets somewhere stuck between its successful and not so successful thriller moments.Guess Morgan Freeman wanted to make another "Se7en" like thriller. Well, it's not completely fair to compare this movie to "Se7en" but because Morgan Freeman is in it and it's from about the same period, it's easy and tempting to do so. Also with some imagination the plots and approaches of both movies show some similarities. But unfortunately "Kiss the Girls" is nowhere in the same league as "Se7en" but fans of the genre will still find plenty to enjoy in this movie.The movie features all of the right required thriller ingredients. So a psychopath, a cop trying to solve the case and of course a couple of plot twists. It also has all the right looks for a thriller. The movie has the right sort of dark undertone and handles some of its moments effectively.The movie truly benefits from its cast. Morgan Freeman is an experienced actor and always good in these sort of roles. The movie also among other features; Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Bill Nunn, Brian Cox and Jeremy Piven.A better than average thriller.7/10

Ingenious Concept

I saw this movie when I heard the concept. A man who kidnaps women then leaves them to die kidnaps a doctor, she escapes, comes to help the detective who is investigating the case. The woman is played by Ashley Judd and she is excellent, she gives the character depth and is more than just a blank slate or cliche. The detective is played by Morgan Freeman and he gives a greatly understated performance. While this movie isn't as good as "the Silence of the Lambs" it has a great concept, greatly staged scenes and is worth seeing. IT rates a 7.

great mystery thriller

this is my favorite ashely judd movie and one of my favorites around the late 90'S. its has good action suspense and even is funny in some parts. good acting by morgan freeman ashely judd and casanova. keeps you guessing till the end and throws in a twist here and there. i hear this was made from a novel which i havent read but i might now because i liked this movie alot. i wish they made a sequel.

Good though not amazing

I enjoyed thsi film for what it was. I'm sure that the books are much moere detailed into the characters but that for the sake of economizing time and plot, the movie moves along swiftly. The twist of a killer's victim getting away but still being necessary to being bait was a good twist as a plot point. I enjoyed Judd and Freeman working together---I don't think it could quite be called a sexual chemistry as much as an easiness with one another and a seeming respect for each other's abilities. That personal quality translates nicely to the screne so that I got the feeling that this police officer might trust Judd to help get his niece back. A good movie, though necessarily amazing, like Seven or Silence of the Lambs, but worth a viewing.

What starts out being a great, moody thriller loses its nerve in the second act and ends up being only marginally successful. *** out of ****

KISS THE GIRLS (1997) ***Starring: Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Tony Goldwyn, Jay O. Sanders, and Jeremy Piven Director: Gary Fleder 111 minutes Rated R (for terror/violence, themes regarding rape and other inappropriate sexual behavior, language, and brief nudity)By Blake French:"Kiss The Girls" is the kind of movie that starts out quite deep, but the more it progresses, the more we discover the material's lack of depth, only leaving the plot to stumble about half way though truing what could have been the next "The Usual Suspects," into only a so-so, typical, moody serial killer production.The filmmakers have cast Morgan Freeman as police detective Alex Cross, who is hot on the track of a serial killer who snatches strong willed young women and keeps them in his yet-to-be-found lair to be tortured and raped at his will. He calls himself Casanova, and wares a bizarre looking mask on his face blocking any traces of his identity. Recently, this madman has captured Cross' niece, making this one case of personal will.Early in the film, we learn of a woman named Kate Mctiernan, a kick-boxing, strong willed, independent woman who is taken from inside her own walls one night by Casanova in a disturbing and terrifying scene. This character allows us to experience the grip and fortress of Casanova through her point of view. He tells her in his dark, cave-like dungeon that he loves her dearly, and orders her not to break any of his set rules. Once a captive for a day, she leans of the other kidnapped women also present, and realizes that it is all up to her to save these people by escaping. Therefore, in a detailed and convincing sequence, Kate confronts the angry Casanova and returns his hatred with a fight that gives her the upper hand on him, and like a blind cat in New York, she stumbles out of the maze-like territory and reaches daylight, only leading her to a near dearth experience in the process. Alex Cross interviews Kate after her delicate recovery. She explains all she knows to him, and also demands that she is allowed to participate in the bust of Casanova. Their first lead is a man named Will Rudolph, who (spoiler) only turns out to be an apprentice of Casanova and escapes the wrath of the police during his arrest and heads back to his leader. After that, even more assistants of Casanova are discovered, a rapist who has sex with, but never hurts, any of his victims.The film offers good performances throughout the cast--especially by Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. Both characters are developed with a state of personal willingness and precise reason. Their motives are understood. In result, the audience feels great empathy for them. The villain is developed with a personality and revilement similar to the Keyser Sose character in 1994's "The Usual Suspects"--one of the greatest villains in film history. He is first shown through peoples' descriptions and rumors, then through dark, foggy shadows with a deep, bellowing voice, which is first heard in the tantalizing opening credits. Unfortunately, the movie takes a turn for the worst about half way though when it takes on side characters who have no purpose in the plot to distract the audience for whatever reason. The mystery loses its much tension, and the film is all down hill from there-even the somewhat predictable final twist isn't nearly as effective as it could have been due to this blemish.Even after the movie's almost fatal second act flaw, however, it still offers scenes of suspense that work well, a villain that is well developed, an atmosphere which is occasionally spectacular and performances that are convincing and intriguing. I recommend the film, but with hesitation that did not have to be there if not for the writers who literally went out of their way to throw in a major problem that took this film from being great-to only being satisfactory lever. Brought to you by Paramount Pictures.

Not a profound thrilling experience

What starts off as a promising movie falters after about an hour and loses much of its grip on the viewer.The book is far better although it does have a definite tendency towards exaggerated violence and unnecessary pornography. These negative traits were completely avoided in the movie and violence and rape are merely suggested without the use of visual elements: a credit to both director and producers.The plot however does not succeed in offering a profound thrilling experience. Morgan Freeman is always good: although he is more or lees the same in every movie he appears,he always succeeds in getting away with it. Ashley Judd? Well, it would be a good thing if somebody told her that we are all convinced by now that women have the same rights as men and that she does not have to run around with a facial expression that resembles that of an oncoming tornado each time she encounters a male.

Freeman as Cross in superb thriller

Morgan Freeman is Detective Alex cross in this film about two serial killers working on different coasts. His niece, played by Tatyana Ali, is kidnapped, and Cross goes to help the North Caolina police find her.Casanova, the killer, chooses Kate Mctiernan (Ashley Judd) as his latest acquisition, but she escapes from his hidden lair and joins Cross in the race to find Casanova before he kills his niece and the others in his collection.OK so this tense film doesn't do real justice to James Patterson's novel, but long books never translate into great movies. It gives you a good taste ans the book is there if you want a full meal.

A great Thriller

Based on the Novel by James Patterson the film is a great psychotic Thriller starring Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd. Morgan Freeman is a cop who gets involved in the case because his niece is one of a number who have been abducted some of which have turned up dead some ofwhich are still missing. The films keeps you guessing on who actually is the killer. A well put together film and it strikes real fear into the viewer.

Silence-of-the-lambs cash in attempt

I had a deja-vu feeling watching this fairly routine serial killer flick, especially since Ashley Judd seems to be playing Jodie Foster and the twin sickos who kidnap girls are the usual horror show. The underground chamber of horrors was all too familiar as well. Still, Morgan Freeman almost always lifts up anything he's in and this rip-off is no exception. Jeremy Piven makes a brief cameo, years before "Entourage." There's the usual nail-biting moment and a red herring or two for good measure. Not the worst of its genre, by any means.

no comparison to silence of the lambs

Maybe I'm spoiled by Silence of the Lambs but this wasn't a very good movie. I thought parts of it were trying for suspense where there was none and parts of it were just cheezy. In a time when one of the best movies ever made dealt with a serial killer plot a movie like this can't stand up against that. Kiss the girls didn't contain much to make it a superior film. I'd rate it about a 4.5.

Dark, suspenseful, fantastic

I didn't really know much about this movie when I saw that it was coming on HBO. I just decided "what the hell" and watched it. Besides, Morgan Freeman is one of my favorite actors. After a few minutes of KISS THE GIRLS, I was instantly glued to the television. It was pretty dark and very suspenseful, but I truly liked it.Dr. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), a psychologist/detective from Washington DC is sent to investigate a man known as "Casanova", who is kidnapping, imprisoning and occasionally torturing and killing beautiful women. His niece is among one of the kidnapped. Along with the help of Kate Mctiernan, (Ashley Judd) who escaped from the maniac, and Detective Nick Ruskin (Cary Elwes), Cross sets out to find and stop the murderer.The plot is fascinating and will most likely keep you on the edge of your seat and holding onto the arm of your chair. The acting jobs are very good too. Some parts are very dark and a little disturbing, but it often only helps the story line. Morgan Freeman, as usual, does a great job as the main character. Ashley Judd and Cary Elwes also did impressive performances.The ending of this movie is pretty good and rather surprising. Go out and rent this whenever you're in the mood for a little suspense, you won't be disappointed.

What a mess

Ok, so I thought this film was alright, it had good actors, well put together and the plot outline was well thought out. However the actions of the people we totally unbeleivable, and it felt like the author/script writer was trying to add action sequences and "twists" just for the sake of it. They would have been better making it harder to guess who the kidnapper is, and more invesitagative. Instead I spent most of the movie say to myself, "that's so stupid, they'd never do that." Go and watch copycat instead.

Edge of your seat thriller!

Morgan Freeman plays detective Alex Cross, who is on the hunt for a serial killer who calls himself Casanova. His only hope in catching the killer and rescuing his neice, Naomi, is the young woman who got away. This movie's filled with thrills, action, mystery, and great suspense. Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman deliver great performances. This movie is highly recommened to action, suspense and mystery movie fans. I guarntee it'll be a blast!

Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd

At the age of 60, Morgan Freeman is just too old to be kissing Ashley Judd. Although it is one of his better post-'Seven' films, Freeman would never be seen kissing Judd which is probably the only reason why he should have taken a part in this film. An entertaining film, but not significant because there is no interracial romance between him and Judd.

so-so thriller

What 'Kiss The Girls' has going for it mainly is Morgan Freeman. What's the old saying? He would be interesting reciting the phone book. Freeman has the kind of screen presence that other actors only dream of possessing. He is calm, reassuring, magnetic... he is wise without acting like a know-it-all; maturity and decency seem to radiate from him. It's interesting to ponder whether Freeman is really that good of an actor, or if he simply possesses an overdose of charisma, like Errol Flynn. In any event, he's the best thing about 'Kiss The Girls', a standard-issue sicko-on-the-loose-kidnapping-beautiful-women thriller. It's basically a rehash of 'Silence of the Lambs' without the Hannibal Lecter character. And without the style. Much is hinted at and some of the dialogue is explicit, but that's as far as 'Kiss The Girls' goes. Visually, it's really pretty dull. Good thing it has Morgan Freeman to aim the camera at. Ashley Judd plays the one who gets away, a kidnap victim who escapes the psycho's dungeon. (And it is literally a dungeon. No basement or shed. A real dungeon.) She is also a brilliant doctor. See, this sick creep likes to kidnap INTELLIGENT and INDEPENDENT women. No airheads for him. Unfortunately, this little twist in the usual plot provides no new ideas or fresh situations, unless you count Freeman's daughter playing the violin. Judd is adequate in the not-very-believable role; she strikes me as a female Keanu Reeves, something sort of android-ish about her. And good old Cary Elwes (warning- spoiler coming) is- surprise!- the psychotic kidnapper. Like we were going to believe he was a sincere, good old boy policeman. Poor Cary Elwes- he is really typecast. But I can see why. He just has that kind of face. 'Kiss The Girls' seems a lot like your typical TV-movie of the week; it's what the critics call an 'agreeable time-filler'... but it DOES have Morgan Freeman in it.

Good story combined with stellar acting

There were a few things that I really liked about this movie.1.) Ashley Judd. She did a magnificent job in the role as Dr. Kate McTiernan. She played a smart, strong woman that remained tough and intelligent even when she was afraid and in danger, and at the same time she wasn't a super woman that had no weakness.2.) The plot. Mystery/crime movies can get redundant, but I think the plot in this one was edgy enough to be a cut above the rest.3.) The ebb and flow of the movie. As Dr. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) did more uncovering you found out more. The pace was just right. It didn't go to slow so as to bog down and get boring, but it wasn't so fast so as to skip over important details and character development.4.) Morgan Freeman. Does this guy ever go wrong? I don't think I have yet to see him in a movie of which I said: "Morgan what are you doing?". He is as class as they come with regards to acting.I genuinely enjoyed this movie. I was captivated from beginning to end. There was plenty of suspense and mystery. The movie kept you guessing without giving anything away. All the lead actors did a wonderful job. Bravo.

Excellent

Excellent movie full of lots of suspense. It will keep you guessing who the killer is.

Not bad considering...

I add the considering because this is a serial killer movie and we've seen much better ones than this in recent years, including the absolutely brilliant Se7en, which launched the career of David Fincher. But overall, thanks to great acting, this one keeps afloat. Freeman is as good as you can expect from him every time and Ashley Judd is very good in the roll that basically MADE her. However, the two serial killer thing worked out so much better in the novel than it did in the movie because so many elements were left out. The killers in the book were both very dangerous and repulsive, but in the film, only Cassanova resonates anything and the other turns into a wannabe and it kind of ruins the mood.

Something that greatly surprised me was the excellent pacing throughout the entire picture. Even through the ending, which tries to be shocking but is really nothing new, the pacing is incredible and the movie feels so short for its two hour running time. That helps keep this movie entertaining since it could've easily gotten dull without keeping the excitement pumping. A lot of Gary Fleder's camera-work is pretty nifty and some of the action scenes are quite great. But unlike most killer genre movies that understand that the bad guys must, MUST be the most interesting aspect of the story, Kiss the Girls loses this when it tries to unsuccessfully juggle two killers. It worked out so much better in the book, but that's okay, because if they had put anything else into the story, it would've become overlong and possibly boring. All in all this deserves a look.

THE DERIVATIVE CLIMAX DIDN'T BOTHER ME THIS TIME....

AND IT WAS ALSO MORE ENTERTAINING. MORGAN FREEMAN AND ASHLEY JUDD GIVE ASTOUNDING PERFORMANCES ALONG WITH THE WHOLE CAST.