Illeana Scott (Jolie) is an agent for the FBI who is extremely good at what she does. She tracks down killers in the most unusual manner. She’ll stick her nose as far into the case as she can, nothing escapes her gaze and she can even be found lying in gravesites in search of answers. On this particular assignment she is in Canada, where her case leads her to have to protect John Costa, as played by Ethan Hawke. Costa is a witness to a killing, and his safety is crucial to connecting perhaps decades of unsolved murders to one man. Illeana must put her expertise to the test, her personal feelings for Costa to the side, and the fact that she is stepping on the toes of some of Canada’s best detectives out of her mind, to take down a killer.

The concept of this movie was interesting. A killer who is sort of like a hermit crab ¾ he kills someone and commences to take that person’s life over ¾ is a little bit different than a killer who kills for money or revenge, or some other psychopathic agenda. I thought "Taking Lives" did a good job in outlining what would make someone spiral into such madness, but this movie excels because of Jolie. She is a rare blend of beauty, brains, confidence and strength, and this movie would not have worked without her. This was neither an exceptional movie nor was it particularly bad, but there were at least three moments in this movie where I actually jumped in my seat, and I never jump in my seat! If you’re looking for twists and turns, this is a good movie to check out.