Line #16 Film/KissTheGirls


1	[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kiss_the_girls.jpg]]
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3	''Kiss the Girls'' is a 1997 psychological thriller film directed by Creator/GaryFleder and starring Creator/MorganFreeman as African-American psychologist Alex Cross, along with Creator/AshleyJudd, Creator/CaryElwes, Creator/TonyGoldwyn, Creator/JayOSanders, Creator/BillNunn, Creator/JeremyPiven, and Creator/BrianCox. It is an adaptation of the [[Literature/KissTheGirls 1995 novel of the same name]] by Creator/JamesPatterson.
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5	The main plot involves the parallel trails of action of two kidnappers, the "Casanova" of North Carolina and the "Gentleman Caller" of California. Both of them are "collectors" and responsible for the disappearances of numerous women, a few of whom are killed while the rest are held in long-term captivity for their abductors' sadomasochistic pleasure.
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7	Cross gets involved when his niece Naomi (Gina Ravera) becomes the latest missing victim in North Carolina. He joins forces with Kate [=McTiernan=] (Judd), the only recent victim who managed to escape on her own. They have to find out how the two criminals are connected and discover their identities before more victims are taken.
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10	!!This film provides examples of:
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12	* AloneWithThePsycho: Inverted. [[spoiler:Detective Ruskin is visiting Kate and reveals himself to be the serial rapist/killer]] just as Cross is putting the pieces together back at the station. The killer manages to [[CutPhoneLines cut the victim's phone line]] just before the other detective tries to call.
13	* AnonymousKillerNarrator: The movie starts with a voiceover by Casanova explaining his first twisted "relationship".
14	* AudibleSharpness: The sounds when William Rudolph pulls out his knife to put it on Naomi's throat.
15	%%* AxCrazy: Rudolph.
16	* BearerOfBadNews: Kate when telling the Asian parents that their girl was in a coma.
17	* BreakTheCutie: From his EvilGloating we learn that Casanova's motive was to break beautiful girls through endless torture and rape.
18	* BunkerWoman: Kate and the other victims are held in a SealedRoomInTheMiddleOfNowhere.
19	%%* CanonForeigner: Detective Henry Castillo.
20	* CarFu: Kate drives her car into the path of Will Rudolph's to stop him from escaping. He still manages to get away.
21	* TheCasanova: The main villain is actually named Casanova, a "collector" who builds a modern day harem of kidnapped women. Subverted since Kate's doctor points out that the bad guy obviously doesn't know his history, as the real Casanova would never have approved of his brutality toward women.
22	* CueTheBilliardShot: The second scene at the night club where Casanova picks up a new victim is kicked off by a billiard shot.
23	* CutPhoneLines: The killer does it when coming by Kate's house in the finale.
24	%%* DeadpanSnarker:
25	%%** FBI Agent Kyle Craig.
26	%%** Rudolph comes off as this as well.
27	* DefiantCaptive: Kate is this. Her bravery helps her escape. It is mentioned that other defiant [[BunkerWoman bunker girls]] were offed by Casanova as their strong-willedness triggered the ControlFreak part in him.
28	* DemotedToExtra: John Sampson is a major supporting character in the books and plays a major part in the latter half of the novel, but here he only shows up for a small portion of the film as a FriendOnTheForce and disappears as fast as he appeared.
29	* DistinguishedGentlemansPipe: Chief Hatfield is seen smoking one during his meeting with Cross.
30	* DramaticSlip: Kate trips multiple times when escaping from the bunker. Justified as she was off-balanced by [[SlippingAMickey drugs put in her sandwich]].
31	* DrJerk:
32	** Dr. Wich Sachs is arrogant, smug, totally uncaring about the women in Casanova's custody, and taunts Cross about having sex with his niece.
33	** Rudolph, the Gentleman Caller, is a plastic surgeon.
34	* EvidenceDungeon: The freezer they find at Will Rudolph's place with the newspaper clippings and [[CreepySouvenir dismembered feet]].
35	* EvilMentor: Casanova claims to have been one for Rudolph.
36	* TheFaceless: In the shot of Casanova sitting on his computer desk talking to his partner but we never get to see his face. [[spoiler:Subverted at the end.]]
37	%%* FauxAffablyEvil: Casanova.
38	* FriendOnTheForce: Several.
39	** FBI Agent Craig is the one who let Cross on the case and helps him as much as possible.
40	** Detective Nick Ruskin serves as one for the DPD, who, unlike Chief Hatfield and his partner, Detective Davey Sikes, is nothing but helpful and polite. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out that Ruskin is Casanova.]]
41	** Detective John Sampson is this for the WPD, helping Cross in his illegal operation to catch William Rudolph.
42	%%* GentleGiant: Detective Sampson.
43	* GroinAttack: How Kate disables the killer during the climactic kitchen fight.
44	%%* HospitalHottie: Kate's a doctor.
45	* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Casanova does this with ''several'' women at once. The film's portrayal of Casanova stroking Kate's face and body while whispering in her ear really adds a major note of "creepy" to an already psychotic character.
46	* IWorkAlone: Cross doesn't want Kate to join him, but gives in after she insists.
47	%%* {{Jerkass}}: Dr. Sachs.
48	* JumpScare: When Casanova kidnaps Kate from behind in her home.
49	* KillerCop: [[spoiler:Casanova turns out to be Detective Nick Ruskin.]]
50	%%* LargeHam: Rudolph.
51	* MauveShirt: Detective Henry Castillo, who gets quite a bit of characterization, but gets shot dead by the Gentleman Caller.
52	* MalevolentMaskedMan: Casanova wears a quite sinister white theatrical mask.
53	%%* MotorMouth: Detective Henry Castillo.
54	* NiceGuy: Detective Nick Ruskin is the nicest member of the Durham Police Department, and is nothing but polite and courteous. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out that ''he'' is Casanova.]]
55	* NoEscapeButDown: During her escape from Casanova, Kate has to decide whether to leap off a 150 foot waterfall or be recaptured. She takes the jump and gets away.
56	* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Kate has only a few brief scenes of her work as a doctor.
57	* PostRapeTaunt: Done twice to Cross. First in the interrogation room by Dr. Sachs and then in the finale by Casanova, who taunts Cross about how he molested his kidnapped niece for ten days purely to press his RelativeButton. The first time around Cross loses his cool and attacks Sachs, but in the second one, he maintains his calculating demeanor long enough to defuse the TakingYouWithMe situation.
58	* RepeatCut: When [[spoiler:Cross shoots the killer at the end]], the moment is shown at least three times from different angles.
59	* TheScapegoat: Rudolph plants evidence that frames Dr. Sachs as Casanova.
60	* SecretSquatter: The AnonymousKillerNarrator at the beginning reveals that "Casanova" lived in his first obsession, Coty's, house for an entire month, becoming sexually obsessed with her, her sister, and her mother, before raping and killing them all.
61	* SerialKiller[=/=]SerialRapist:
62	** Casanova is a sexual sadist who kidnaps women and locks them up in an underground dungeon deep in the woods so he can rape them repeatedly. He kills the ones who break his "rules" by tying them to a tree to die of starvation and exposure.
63	** William Rudolph is heavily implied to rape and then murder his victims.
64	* SexSlave: Casanova keeps them, and even uses a very old term for Ottoman harem women.
65	* SoftspokenSadist: Casanova's voice is very deep and smooth. It's also ''incredibly'' unnerving.
66	* SoftWater: Subverted. Desperate to escape from the killer, Kate jumps over a waterfall. She survives but is considerably banged up.
67	* SoundtrackDissonance: At the climax of the film, the killer tries to rape Kate, who had escaped from his clutches earlier in the movie. Playing in the background is a raucous, upbeat version of the song "Irene Goodnight". This trope might even be played twice, as the lyrics, with allusions to murder and suicide, are far too dark for the manner in which the song is sung.
68	* SurpriseVehicle: When going after Rudolph at the forest, Cross doesn't hear the truck onrushing on the road until he stands right in front of it.
69	* TakingYouWithMe: Near the end, Casanova attacks Kate in her own house and tries to rape her, but she successfully fights him off. He tears out the gas tubes in her kitchen and grabs a lighter so he can off them both, [[spoiler:but Cross arrives on the scene and manages to distract Casanova for long enough to kill him safely]].
70	* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: Cross does this early on to a woman who just shot her abusive partner.
71	* TrapDoor: Cross falls through one when pursuing Rudolph at the bunker.
72	* TrophyRoom: Rudolph's freezer has a feet collection.
73	* WakingUpElsewhere: When Kate wakes up after her kidnapping, she looks up to see her dreamcatcher hanging from the ceiling, but on further glance, the [[MoodWhiplash ceiling turns out not to be her home's]].
74	* WeHardlyKnewYe: Detective Castillo is in the film for all of ten minutes before Rudolph shoots him.
75	* WhateverHappenedToTheMouse:
76	** Detective Sampson disappears after taking the fall for the illegal attempt to capture Randolph.
77	** Dr. Sachs is last seen in custody of the DPD, still believed to be Casanova.
78	* WickedCultured: Dr. Sachs isn't evil per say, but still a massive {{jerkass}}. Rudolph and Casanova have shades of it as well.
79	* UnbrokenVigil: Cross spends the whole night at Kate's bed at the hospital.

Context Film / KissTheGirls