Kiss the Girls
1997 · Directed by Gary Fleder
Original language: English
- thriller
- crime
- mystery
The story
Forensic psychologist and detective Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. The trail leads to Los Angeles, where the duo discovers that the psychopath may not be working alone.
What it’s like
Cool, grey-blue interiors and rain-slick night streets give this 1997 thriller a clinical, unsettled look, with Morgan Freeman's Alex Cross working in dim offices and sodium-lit corridors while the camera stays fairly tight and controlled. The sound leans on tense strings and a low, insistent pulse, with sudden silences that let dread build. Its vibe is sombre, procedural unease: the kind of watch for a rainy evening or a late night alone when you want a patient hunt rather than a jump-scare fest. Pacing is steady and investigative, with long stretches of interviews and forensic detail broken by sharp bursts of menace. The emotional register is tense and grim, and the arc follows a wary survivor and a weary detective slowly learning to trust each other. Violence includes kidnapping, captivity and murders, with some brutal moments and frightening peril; gore is limited but the threat is persistent and disturbing, including sexual menace. Suited to viewers who enjoy serial-killer investigations and psychological tension.
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