Kiss the Girls (1997)
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A forensic psychologist must track down a serial kidnapper after his niece goes missing.
The story
Washington D.C. Detective and forensic psychologist Dr Alex Cross is devastated to learn that his niece, Naomi, a college student in Durham, North Carolina, has been missing for four days, and he travels to Durham to investigate. Upon arrival, Cross learns that multiple young women are missing. He collaborates with Detectives Nick Ruskin and Davey Sikes, as well as FBI agents. Meanwhile, Dr. Kate McTiernan, a doctor and kickboxer, is abducted from her home by a masked man who calls himself Casanova. She wakes up in a stone-walled room and is told by Casanova that he admires her talents and she won't suffer if she complies with his rules. Kate, however, is determined to escape.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After Kate escapes and provides information, Cross discovers a plastic surgeon, Dr. William Rudolph, is involved in the kidnappings. Cross and Kate join forces with partners to track Rudolph. They discover a second killer, the 'Gentleman Caller,' who works with Casanova. In North Carolina, Cross locates the hideout where the women are held. Rudolph is killed by Cross, but Casanova escapes. Later, it is revealed that Detective Ruskin is actually Casanova. Cross manages to defeat him in a final confrontation, and he and Kate are reunited.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gary Fleder
- Writers
- David Klass · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Morgan Freeman · Alex Cross; Ashley Judd · Kate McTiernan; Cary Elwes · Casanova; Tony Goldwyn · Sampson; Jay O. Sanders · Henry
- Genres
- neo-noir; psychological thriller
- Themes
- kidnapping; serial killers
- Tone and mood
- tense; scary; perversely creepy
- Setting
- Durham, North Carolina and California
- Premise and plot tags
- crime; psychological thriller; serial killer
- Source material / true-story basis
- James Patterson's best-selling 1995 novel of the same name
- Franchise connections
- Alex Cross
- Content notes
- violence; sexual violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed or average reviews from critics, with some praising the performances of Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd while others criticized the plot's pacing and complexity.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 46 · scale: 100 · review count: 17
- Awards and nominations
- Satellite Awards · Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Drama · 1998 · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was not shown in some theaters in central Virginia due to local unsolved murders.; The screenplay omitted graphic descriptions of torture and rape from the original novel.; A sequel titled Along Came a Spider was released in 2001.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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