Taking Lives, the latest comer in the crazed-serial-killer-on-the-loose genre is actually the first movie I've seen in quite some time, where I actually had the pleasure of seeing it with my wife (in a theater). And there were a few moments in this thriller where I was glad I had a hand to hold.

As the Warner Brothers logo appeared on screen, I was a bit stunned to hear perhaps my favorite song of all time playing in the background, U2's beautiful ballad "Bad." Given that the movie is about a serial killer, the title of the song was certainly fitting, but I don't know that the tune really worked. It seemed quite out of place.

Taking Lives features Angelina Jolie as expert FBI Agent Illeana Scott who, while extremely lonely, excels at her work. Her most recent case involves a crafty killer who switches identities with his victims. He's been doing so since he was a teenager, and through the years has devevoped quite a penchant for it. Scott and the Canadian police department fear that his next victim may be a frightened artist named John Costa (played by Ethan Hawke), who witnessed the psychopath's last murder.

I absolutely loved the way this movie started (even though a key plot-point is revealed in the trailer). I loved the tone, I loved the way it was shot, and I love the way it's played, particularly by young Paul Dano (who packs a hell of a creepy punch even though he's only in the movie for around ten minutes).

Then, Taking Lives sort of coasts into familar territory. We meet Jolie's rival in the department (played by Unfaithful's Olivier Martinez), the endangered artist, and an all-too-mysterious stranger (played by Kiefer Sutherland). In typical mystery fashion, guilt and suspicion are shifted from one shady character to the next, in order that the sleuths in the audience might be kept on their toes.

Truth be told, I was somewhat engrossed and engaged early on in the movie and I was curious to see where it was going (as opposed to Twisted, where I could've given a rat's ass).

Director D.J. Caruso (The Salton Sea) does a terrific job setting the mood through crisp editing, skilled cinematography and stunning lighting. He also provides some terrific shocks that I didn't see coming. Evidently neither did the rest of the audience, because popcorn went flying on more than one occasion.

Much of the writing here left a bit to be desired, but there are some interesting, unexpected plot developments to compenstate. I absolutely loved the relationship between Martinez's officer Paquette and Jolie's FBI Agent Scott. Quite often in films of this nature, the two good-looking detectives who start off at odds, are ususally seeing thigh-to-thigh by the second act. That's not the case here. From the beginning, Paquette doesn't care for Scott and by the end of the picture, he has absolute contempt for her.

Unfortunately, Taking Lives slips into a derivitive funk, particularly in the final act. When we do come to realize who the killer is, the film just goes through the motions. It's a pretty boring payoff. I also could have done without the implausible and all-too-rushed tryst between Jolie and Hawke. Hawke wasn't in the least bit appealing or seductive - even playing a sensitive artist-type. (Perhaps the film-makers rushed the film into this unlikely coupling - in hopes that the audience would think "hey, if she fell for Billy Bob, she'll sleep with anybody). In any case this lapse of plausibility hurt the film every bit as badly as it's cliched final act.

Angelina Jolie is absolutely stunning, and for what it's worth, she's quite understated here. This gorgeous actress exudes a sexual energy, therefore it's easy to see why any man would fall for her. However, I had real issuse with Hawke's performance. He can be a strong actor (as he showed in Training Day), but in Taking Lives, his performance is essential, and not only does he drop the ball, but he kicks it out of bounds. In order for Taking Lives to succeed Hawke has to come across as likable and convincing, and for reasons I can't quite fathom he fails miserably on both counts.

Martinez has yet to dazzle me in a film, but I must admit, it was fun watching his smug jabs towards Scott. Keifer Sutherland is enjoying a rather exciting career resurgence thanks, in large part, to his outstanding work on 24. Here, he's mildly effective (but he was even more so as the menacing voice in Phone Booth).

Taking Lives has enough "jump-out-of-your-seat" scares and style to put it a couple of notches above Twisted and other recent would-be thrillers, but it can hardly hold a candle to Silence of the Lambs and Seven and it lacks the emotional depth of the similarly themed Jagged Edge.

Despite it's promising beginning, an arousing performance by Jolie and the occasional scare, Taking Lives can't manage to transcend the shackles of it's cliched characters and disappointing third act.