Taking Lives Cast

[Loree Naumann]

Serialkiller thrillers don't come slicker than this good-looking Montreal-set production from Mark Canton and Warner Bros. Boasting a stellar cast led by the larger-than-life Angelina Jolie, Taking Lives is an enjoyable studio outing in the vein of Copycat or The Bone Collector but, don't believe the ads, it should never be mentioned in the same breath as classics of the genre like The Silence Of The Lambs and Seven.

About as psychologically probing as an episode of CSI, the film, adapted from a no-doubt more lucid novel by Michael Pye, is riddled with plot-holes and narrative non-sequiturs. Director DJ Caruso, who made the moody The Salton Sea, goes all-out for style in his handling of the drama seemingly at the expense of suspense, surprise or logic. Only the dumbest of viewers will be unable to see what's coming when the so-called twists are revealed.

The value in the marketplace of a polished Hollywood item like Taking Lives is not to be underestimated. It may not be particularly good, but it looks and feels like a classy adult film which will appeal to a wide grown-up audience. The attractive cast, led by bona fide movie-star presence Jolie and her megawatt lips implausibly playing a top FBI profiler, and Warner's always shrewd marketing will ensure a healthy theatrical life and plentiful ancillary revenues for years to come.

Taking Lives is the story of a twisted serial killer called Martin Asher who, as the lengthy prologue shows, ran away from home as a child and committed his first murder - smashing the face in of a teenage loner and stealing his identity ('taking his life').

Cut to present day Montreal, for once doubling as itself, and local cops are puzzling over another corpse. Police boss Hugo Leclair (Karyo) is so concerned about the murder that he calls in FBI agent Illeana Scott (Jolie) to the case, much to the consternation of his lead detectives Paquette (Martinez) and Duval (Anglade).

It's clear from the start when we see Scott lying in the grave where the body was discovered that she's good at what she does, and sure enough, before long, she has traced the killer's mother Rebecca Asher (Rowlands) and persuaded a witness to a second murder called James Costa (Hawke) to draw a perfect likeness of the suspect.

Costa starts fearing for his life when his art workshop is broken into and the cops consequently start protecting him. The impregnable Scott even finds herself attracted to the witness and asks Leclair to leave Montreal for fear of compromising the case, but he refuses. A mysterious stranger (Sutherland, who has barely any screen time) who fits the description of the killer gets away from Scott during an art opening, and the following day, the stranger kidnaps Costa when Duval carelessly leaves him alone for a minute. A desperate chase begins.

Of course all is not as it seems, although the revelations in the film's last half hour are lame, and given little explanation in the frantic narrative. A final showdown between Scott and the killer takes place six months after the events in the main body of the film in her family's farm in Pennsylvania.

Shot by Caruso with every genre clich and trick of lighting under the sun, plus buckets of dry ice, Taking Lives is a showcase for the pouty talents of Jolie, whose extraordinary looks and natural screen charisma make her eminently watchable even if rarely believable in character. Hawke is a fine leading man as the scared and sexy Costa, while old pros Rowlands and Karyo act as solid anchors for the drama.

Screen International is the essential resource for the international film industry. Subscribe now for monthly editions, awards season weeklies, access to the Screen International archive and supplements including Stars of Tomorrow and World of Locations.

Parents need to know that this is an R-rated thriller with intense and graphic violence. There are graphic injuries and grisly dead bodies, including some decomposed and one badly burned, plus a severed finger and a bloody wound. There are many tense scenes with characters in peril and one (apparently) especially horrific injury. Characters drink, smoke, and use strong language. There are sexual references and a sexual situation including nudity. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.

In TAKING LIVES, Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie) is an FBI profiler who immerses herself in her cases. She eats alone in an elegant hotel room, staring at photos of crime scenes and corpses, and getting as up close and personal at murder scenes in order to solve crimes. Scott is brought in by the Canadian police to help them solve a murder linked to other killings, probably the work of a man who kills men his age and size and then takes over their lives until it is time to move on to the next, "like a hermit crab -- he outgrows one body and starts looking for a new one." The only witness is Costa (Ethan Hawke), an artist preparing for a big show. Illeana is not sure whether to trust him, arrest him, or fall for him. But is what draws her to him the part of her that understands killers?

Jolie's character is inconsistently conceived here, forcing her to take on almost as many personalities as the killer, cool professional, tomboy feminist, girlish romantic, and nesting loner. She has to be tough and vulnerable as the whims of the script demand, and that takes some of the steam out of the story.

But director D.J. Caruso and a strong cast make the best of the potboiler material, creating a nicely creepy atmosphere and knowing when to surprise the audience with a shock -- or a laugh -- to release the tension. So if you don't try to make it all make sense, you might find it to be a thriller with a couple of genuine thrills.

The subject needs to wear a silicon or latex bald cap, a swimming hat, or in this case we've just used shrink wrap to cover the hair. Once the hair is covered apply Vaseline to the eyebrows and any other hairs that need to be covered Alginate will usually come away easily from the odd hair, but clumps of hair will cause the alginate to stick, and it'll pull lumps from the mould. Also plug the ears with cotton wool or earplugs.

Start by mixing the alginate at approximately one part powder to three to four parts water, mix with a paddle mixer on a drill to help reduce any lumps, apply from the back of the head making sure you get the alginate behind the ears and into any crevices, if you don't fill these voids they'll become air pockets and that will cause lumps on your final cast.

Most air pockets tend to happen around the ears, eyes, around the nose and wear the jaw and neck meet, so be sure to take extra time in those areas working out the air pockets. nostrils can have straws inserted to allow the subject to breathe although more experienced moulders may just be extra careful to avoid the alginate being placed over or near the nostrils, they would usually have a third person continuously keeping the nostrils clear as the moulder applies the alginate.

Once the alginate has cured the plaster bandage can be applied to create a supporting shell for the alginate mould. Again, as with applying the alginate, work from the back first. Using folded or wrapped plaster bandage, create a wall running along the top of the shoulders over the head and at the back of the ears, this will create a high partition wall then apply more bandages all over the back of the head.

mix up some fine casting plaster with water to form a paste and use this to make a good square wall and smooth off the plaster shell. Leave this to cure hard before applying the plaster and bandage to the front.

It's highly important that you don't forget to apply a good smear of Vaseline along the partition wall of the plaster shell, and this is to ensure a good release of the two shell halves repeat as previously with the bandage and plaster again making sure the nostrils are clear at all times.

Remove the mould from the subject once it has hardened, it is usually cured after around 30 minutes, depending on the working temperature. It is a good idea to remove the back of the Shell First making sure that the front shell stays in place.

Lower the subject to the floor and have them kneel forward holding the front shell in place so it doesn't fall to the floor. Carefully get the subject to remove their head whilst moving the muscles in their face to help with the release from the alginate.

once the mould is ready mix up a batch of fine casting plaster and water and pour into your mould. Swirl the plaster around and work it in place to ensure there's no trapped air pockets in the plaster. If you use your hands to work the plaster into the nose, eyes, and ear areas, always be aware that plaster can get hot when curing, so never leave your hands in plaster whilst it is curing.

Leave the cast to cure, for best results leave it overnight, taking it out too early could result in parts snapping off due to the plaster being too soft when removing the alginate. be careful around the ears as these will be the weakest areas.

In another guide we show making a silicone mould from the above plaster head and we reproduce the head from our silicone mould in fiberglass -bust-from-silicone-mould-of-plaster-lifecast this is also available as a video tutorial =ZRZzWQ8yxk8

This advice and information are given in good faith for guidance only. and is given without warranty, users should determine information given and using their own judgment to determine suitability.

To reassure our customers - all materials supplied by East Coast Fibreglass Supplies are of the finest quality, manufactured by companies such as Scott Bader, DSM, Owens Corning to name but a few, who all have supplied materials into the Composites industry for many years on a global scale. Samples from every batch manufactured are retained for testing, should the need arise.

How does your project-based work usually come about?

Most of my work has come through word of mouth, meeting people and on some occasions, Instagram. My editorial projects with fashion publications are instrumental in attracting commercial clients. I have a few key clients that I work with every season, but I try to be proactive in generating my work too. This is particularly important as it keeps you evolving and taking yourself to the next level. Within my work, I aim to maintain a cohesive consistency and identity to be able to attract the right collaboration for future projects. This has helped make me the right person for the jobs I do, as it shows clients how I align with their direction.

3a8082e126