A slightly above average riff on the “serial killer mystery,” “Taking Lives” boasts an A-list cast, a talented young director and an unconventional setting. But when the house lights go up in the theater, a viewer will be hard pressed to distinguish this flick from its similar brethren.

Angelina Jolie takes the role that would typically go to Ashley Judd. She plays Illeana Scott, an FBI profiler called in by French-Canadian police in Montreal to help pin down the individual responsible for a string of murders. Apparently, he slaughters a victim of similar physical stature then lives as this person for a few years before discarding the identity for someone new.

The Surete officers compare his modus operandi to a hermit crab.

Fortunately, the police run across a noted artist (Ethan Hawke) who interrupts the butcher during one of his crimes. Although hoping to use this eyewitness to bait the killer, Agent Scott finds her own abilities compromised when she begins to romantically connect with him.

Veteran TV director D.J. Caruso (“The Shield”) draws some good performances from his cast — especially the underrated Hawke — and shows himself adept at staging shocking scenarios that keep the story from getting bogged down.

His style is most effective in the movie’s superior intro which begins in the early ’80s when the teenage criminal first embarks on his scheme. Shot in desaturated colors and employing an almost documentary-like feel, the macabre power of this opener is never matched by the rest of the picture.

What really compromises the impact of “Taking Lives” is that the “surprise” about the identity of the madman is a foregone conclusion to anyone who has ever watched a big-budget thriller. Sure, some red herrings are thrown in to plant elements of doubt (see the underused Kiefer Sutherland). But when all is revealed these seem in retrospect like cheap parlor tricks.

Let it be said, however, that the film (which is based on the novel by Michael Pye) resolves itself in a manner that is just plain bizarre. If it wasn’t so graphically misogynistic it might be easier to appreciate.

It’s curious how the movie often tries hard to escape the narrow confines of its genre, yet in the end it’s still handcuffed to the same cliches.