Helmed by director Gary Fleder (the little seen "Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead"), this is a moderately successful adaption of the James Patterson novel and features yet another demented serial killer who plays mind games with the detective, or in this case, forensic psychologist, who's tracking him. While the novel wasn't the most original piece of work, it was a passable piece of "entertainment." This adaption, however, unfortunately jettisons the deeper characterizations found in the novel for a more straightforward thriller plot. Of course most movies based on novels do the same, but here we're left with just a skeleton of what was present in the novel along with some unanswered questions about events and characters. Often times the film makers who are working from the novel are so entrenched in the story that they forget that a great many of us aren't as familiar with the work and thus can't fill in the blanks quite so easily. Here, in particular, the movie drops most of the close relationship between Cross and Naomi and we're left just to think pure familial bonds motivate his actions.
The movie also fails to create anything more than a two-dimensional villain. Sure his anonymity, whispering voice, and photo/newspaper article wall collection are supposed to make us shudder in our seats, but Casanova comes off as nothing more than a boogeyman in the shadows. While that does have its inherent scare quality, "monsters" are created when we really learn who the evil characters are and what truly motivates them (compare Hannibal Lecter from "Silence of the Lambs" to Jason in the "Friday the 13th" series). If they wanted to keep Casanova the way he is, the film could have played more on his anonymous identity. By doing so, Fleder could have teased the characters in the film -- and the audience -- by never letting on as to whom the killer is. That plot device is mentioned and used just once in the film, but it should have been deployed throughout so that we -- and the cast -- would always be on edge guessing whether it's the guy next door, the mailman, or even a woman. The way it's presented here, and the final revealing, don't offer many surprises and while we're supposed to be shocked by Casanova's true identity at the end of the film, it doesn't come off that way. Thus, a great deal of the film's "fun" (for a thriller) is wasted away.
The film also ruins what could have been another strong lead female character (something not often seen in many films) by turning Kate (Ashley Judd) into the obligatory tag along woman. Once she escapes from her imprisonment, she's used just as an attractive wall-dressing or as the female in distress device. What's more troubling about that regarding the story is that here's a woman who's proficient at kick boxing and can inflict some serious damage. And she does just that to the villain, but then instantly turns into the cowering, have to flee woman, who's then pursued by the killer. While that dramatically works -- after all, what fun would it be if she beat up the bad guy the first time around and the story was over -- it betrays what she had been built up to. Having consistently strong female characters isn't a bad thing -- think of Jodie Foster in "Silence of the Lambs" or Sigourney Weaver in the "Alien" films -- and it's a shame the film makers had to strip Judd's character of what it could, and should have been.
There are also some logistical problems including Kate's miraculously healing face (from heavily bruised and bloodied to near-perfect in just a few days) and the sun that decides to quickly set once Cross finds Casanova's lair (it must have read that the script and known that the scene would play better in the dark). On a positive note, Morgan Freeman is perfectly cast for his role as Cross and the calming demeanor he often brings to many of his characters suits this one (a forensic psychologist) well. Despite the stripping of her character, Judd is competent in her role as are most of the supporting cast members. The film does have its share of tense and frightening moments and should partially please fans of the suspense and thriller genres. We found it to be a shell-like, paint by the numbers film that could have been so much better had more thought been put into its production. We give "Kiss the Girls" a 4.5 out of 10.