Kiss the Girls is a psychological thriller available on Netflix in which Morgan Freeman tracks a serial murderer with several extremely specific tastes. You may confuse it with Seven, a film with a very similar premise and the same lead actor. There’s no Brad Pitt in Kiss the Girls, but that’s only the first thing that makes it a lesser film. It’s a grim attempt to profit off of several similar thrillers, but it’s not without its charms. It doesn’t feel like it deserves to hold Netflix’s silver medal, but Freeman has done more with less.
Kiss the Girls Hunts Down Netflix’s International Top Ten
Kiss the Girls follows Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross, James Patterson’s iconic police psychologist hero. Freeman portrayed Cross again in the 2001 sequel, Along Came a Spider. Controversial comedy director Tyler Perry took on the role in a 2012 reboot. Girls sees Cross travel from his home in Washington, D.C., to Durham, North Carolina. He’s investigating the disappearance of his niece but quickly discovers connections to a string of similar events. Cross tracks a killer who creates hard-and-fast rules for his captives and kills those who disobey. His greatest ally is Ashley Judd as Kate, the killer’s only known escapee. The clock is ticking, but Cross and Kate have the skills and information to hunt the killer down. As expected, Freeman is the film’s crown jewel. His kindness, wisdom, and endless compassion make him a perfect movie detective. He’s done it better elsewhere, but it still works.
You may notice that Morgan Freeman’s seminal serial killer thriller, Seven, isn’t on Netflix. That might have something to do with the film’s current place in the top ten. Morgan Freeman is enduringly popular, so any Netflix offering with his face on it will capture attention. Kiss the Girls made a fair amount of money, but its critical reception was less impressive. It earned $60.5 million on a $27 million budget but has a 32% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its current streaming performance is impressive by any metric. This is a relatively forgettable 1997 thriller leaping up the international chart. It’s a temporary blip, but it’s interesting to see such a novelty get attention. Kiss the Girls has national top ten spots all over the world. Over 80 countries proudly list this Morgan Freeman film among their Netflix top ten.
Kiss the Girls isn’t exactly a classic, but it has its moments. The producers correctly assumed that Morgan Freeman would carry the otherwise mediocre project. I don’t need to tell you where Morgan Freeman went after Kiss the Girls. Director Gary Fleder went on to helm Runaway Jury and 2013’s Homefront. Screenwriter David Klass later wrote the Dwayne Johnson vehicle Walking Tall. Kiss the Girls won’t be in Netflix’s spotlight for long, but let this serve as a reminder of Morgan Freeman’s power.
