Taking Lives DVD Features & Review

More sex. More violence. That's what you get in the unrated director's cut of Taking Lives, which ought to tell you where director D.J. Caruso's priorities lie. The hot scenes between Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke are extended (offering a bit more nudity for Jolie's lecherous fans), and the fate of Gena Rowlands's character is considerably more graphic, but none of the added footage makes the movie any better or worse.

That said, this cynical director's cut is the only version worth buying if you're looking to fill out your serial-killer-thriller collection (or your movies-in-which-Jolie-gets-naked collection), and you might as well enjoy the gag reel outtakes because they contain the only footage on the entire DVD in which Jolie cracks a genuine smile.

The four featurettes are really just one standard-issue promo reel chopped into thematic categories with a pretentious CSI vibe, and while they offer little of substance, seasoned film buffs will welcome the appearance of veteran British editor Anne V. Coates, who briefly explains her approach to cutting high-tension scenes.

The rest is routine at best, but given the choice between the full-screen DVD and this steamier, more gruesome widescreen version, well, it's no contest. Jolie and her breasts await you.

Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Warner Home Video

DVD Release Date: August 17, 2004

DVD Features:

Unrated Director's Cut contains six additional minutes of footage
Gag reel
4 making-of featurettes:
"The Art of Collaboration" - cast and crew
"Profiling a Director" - interview
"Bodies of Evidence" - cast secrets
"Puzzle Within a Puzzle" - with editor Anne V. Coates
Widescreen anamorphic format