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Based on a novel of the same name by James Patterson, director Gary Fleder’s Kiss the Girls is a 1997 crime thriller starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. The film follows the events in Durham, where a set of young girls are missing, and the police are unable to find any solution. The movie is definitely not one of the finest serial killer stories that you will find, but the way the actors pulled off the drama is definitely worth a one-time watch for sure. Spoilers Ahead!
Kiss the Girls (1997) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis:
Kiss the Girls opens with the voiceover of the serial killer, who claims himself to be Casanova, describing how he abducted and sterilized some of the women. Then we are introduced to Detective Dr. Alex Cross, played by Morgan Freeman, who is a forensic psychologist and is popularly known by a lot of people for his success rate in his career. We are even shown a scene where Alex talks a woman into giving up a pistol she was holding to shoot herself. He has this brilliant ability to control someone’s mind with his friendly approach and calm voice.
Later that night, Alex learns that his niece, Naomi, who lives in Durham, has not been found for four days now. Alex tries to calm his family. However, deep inside, he is worried about something bad that might have happened. He decides to go to Durham and see for himself whether he can find anything about Naomi. His cousin Sampson tells him that the place is out of his jurisdiction. But Alex is adamant about going to Durham and finding Naomi.
What does Alex find out in Durham?
When Alex arrives in Durham, he waits for more than 2 hours to meet with the officers involved in the case. Subsequently, he finds out that there are at least ten girls who are on the missing persons’ list. It shocks Alex to think the police are unable to find anything about the abductor yet. He meets with the investigating officers, Detective Nick Ruskin and Detective Sikes. Together, they go to a place in the jungle where the third body of a woman is found.
Alex sees that the woman is tied up against a tree with her hands behind her, and a part of her hair is cut down. The crime scene is way more brutal than Alex has imagined, which makes him more concerned about his niece. He meets with Chief Hatfield, who smoothly makes him aware that this is his jurisdiction and that he will not approve of any mess created by Alex. However, he is sympathetic toward Alex’s situation, knowing his niece can also be on the victim’s list, so he extends all the possible help, even including him in the case.
How does Dr. Kate McTiernan Escape from Casanova?
Soon, we are introduced to Dr. Kate McTiernan, who is a reputed doctor and an enthusiastic boxer. She lives alone, and she has an undying urge to fight back. Unbeknownst to her, she has just checked all the boxes for the serial abductor. One night, when Kate is asleep, the abductor gets inside her house, and with a bit of struggle, he kidnaps her. When she wakes up, she finds out that she is in a room that has stone walls. It looked like a cave or something, and she also felt that some heavy dosage was used to stabilize her.
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Later, she sees a person in a mask who explains to herself why he captured her. He is deeply in love with her since she is a very talented woman. He introduces himself as Casanova and tells her that if she listens to him, he will make sure that she doesn’t have to struggle a lot to live there. But Kate has different plans, as she is a fighter. She shouts to reach out if anyone is there with her and finds out that there are more women; each of them shares their name with her.
One day, when Casanova comes inside the room, Kate attacks him all of a sudden and runs to get out of this cave-like structure. She follows the light and finds herself in a jungle. She runs hard and falls over a couple of times, but she doesn’t stop on top of a cliff. Under that cliff flows a river, and behind her stands Casanova, her doom. She decides to jump off the cliff and ends up in a hospital in Washington.
How does Kate help Alex find Casanova?
Alex finds out, with the help of the PDR, that Kate was given a drug called Sistol. Luckily, the doctors were able to get the drug out of her system. When she feels okay, she helps with the investigation. Knowing Alex’s niece’s name, Kate tells him that she has talked to her and that she is willing to help him find Naomi. Alex goes to the internet and searches for the buyers of the drug called Sistol from the last five years. He finds out a plastic surgeon named Will Rudolph ordered a lot of Sistol two years ago. But the intriguing part is that using a Sistol for plastic surgery is forbidden.
So he ordered it under the terms of curing leukemia. But, in a small place, ordering such a huge amount of Sistol makes Alex doubt Rudolph more. He is almost sure that this Rudolph guy is either Casanova himself or can lead them to Casanova.They start following him without notifying the Durham police. Alex and Sampson go inside a pub, where Rudolph is seen talking to a young woman. With each step Rudolph is taking, Alex is more and more sure that he is their guy. Kate is asked to wait outside the pub, but she fails to do so. She comes inside and sees Rudolph and the way he is touching that young woman. She recognizes the touch and confirms him as Casanova.
Kiss the Girls (1997) Movie Ending Explained:
Is Rudolph the Real Casanova?
When Alex follows Rudolph that night, he manages to escape, killing one of Sampson’s men and injuring Alex. Later, Rudolph’s house is seized by Durham police, and they find out there is another mention of a killer named Gentleman Caller. As the investigation finds its way into the light, they get an idea of the place where Kate was kept. Naomi’s boyfriend has the best idea of Durham’s landscape, so he helps them find the location.
Meanwhile, Rudolph has come to the spot where Casanova has kept the women. It is, in fact, two serial abductors who kidnap women of versatile talents. Rudolph and Casanova have a fight, and Casanova shoots a bullet at him, only to threaten. But the bullet sound finds Alex, and he ends up standing in front of a door that leads to the cave. He enters the cave, and after a long night of chase, Rudolph is finally caught; however, Casanova remains free. The girls are now safe as Alex hugs his niece, Naomi, who is now under medical care.
Is Alex Able to Catch Casanova?
When everything almost seems over, Kate invites Alex to her house for supper. In the hotel room, Alex suddenly finds similarities between Casanova’s handwritten message to him and Detective Nick Ruskin’s signature. Meanwhile, Nick has come to complete his circle by killing Kate. Nick is indeed the Casanova the whole police department is looking for. Kate doesn’t know about his real identity, so she welcomes him home.Soon, she understands that Nick is the killer, as he starts talking very similarly to the real Casanova.
Kate fights hard as she somehow manages to put the cuffs on Nick’s hands. There is a gas leak in the house, so Nick brings his lighter out to end everything at once. Alex arrives right at that moment and tries to take control of the situation, but manipulating a serial abductor’s mind seems pretty hard.Just as Nick is about to start the fire, Alex shoots at him using a milk pouch as a flash suppressor so that the muzzle fire doesn’t blast the house. Finally, Casanova dies in the hands of Alex as he goes to embrace Kate, who is still trembling with fear as she fights off her killer for the second time.
