I Know Who Killed Me - Review

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Length: 105 min

Rated: R

Distributor: TriStar Pictures

Release Date: 2007-07-27

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Julia Ormond, Neal McDonough, Brian Geraghty, Garcelle Beauvais, Spencer Garrett, Michael Adler

Directed by Chris Sivertson

Produced by Frank Mancuso, Jr.

Written by Jeff Hammond

Visit the movie's Official Site!

Reviewed by Rafe Telsch : 2007-07-29 12:14:15

“She has a trick. She knew how to turn her life into a movie and watch things happen.” That’s the metaphor Aubrey Fleming uses to describe her character to her writing class; a tortured girl who has had to deal with a lot of suffering in her life. It’s also the perfect metaphor for the movie I Know Who Killed Me as a whole. The movie keeps the audience at arm's length, never engaging them with the story or characters. The result is a wholly unsatisfying experience.

The movie immediately introduces us to three versions of Aubrey Fleming (Lindsay Lohan). The picture opens with her at a strip club, pole dancing. Then we see Aubrey presenting her writing to a class. Finally we see Aubrey playing the piano, something she is giving up to make more time for her writing. Aubrey, it would appear, is a multi-faceted girl. She has a boyfriend she refuses to concede physically to, friends she hangs out with, the works. Overall, she has a pretty good life. Then one day, she disappears. The disappearance comes right on the heels of another girl, one of Aubrey’s classmates, having been abducted and murdered. Weeks later, Aubrey reappears, claiming instead to be Dakota Moss, a poor girl raised by a crack-addicted mother who had to turn to stripping to pay the bills.

At this point you’re supposed to be all sorts of curious. Is this girl really Aubrey or is she a different girl, as she claims. The problem is, the movie never gives you any reason to believe Lohan’s character isn’t the abducted girl. Aubrey wrote about Dakota, right down to an image we see happen on screen with a truck passing her by as she hitchhikes. She also has injuries identical to the previous girl who was murdered – her right arm and leg have been severed. The primary way Dakota differentiates herself drastically from Aubrey is that she says “fuck” a lot. Catch me on a grumpy day and you’ll probably see the same thing, but I’m not my own twin. No, there’s no reason to believe Dakota is anything but Aubrey escaping into an invented character, regardless of how the story suddenly takes an odd turn and starts making the audience think about identical twins, switched babies, and twin stigmata.

The movie is permeated with the color blue. The only thing missing is an appearance by Blue Man Group and the addition of some rendition of “Blue Moon” on the overbearing soundtrack (or perhaps a song by Blue Oyster Cult). The overuse of blue (down to everyone having blue eyes) is yet another reason to believe Dakota isn’t real. She prefers to dress in red. That’s right, she’s a red girl in a world of blue. It has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. While the story wants the audience to start to think Dakota is telling the truth, the visuals are immediately driving the audience to realize she doesn’t fit.

Along with the audience, the characters are also unwilling to give Dakota the benefit of the doubt. Mind you, these are characters like the boyfriend who cries tears in an exaggerated expression of guilt and relief at Aubrey’s safe return (that had most of the audience laughing at him) one minute, and then is fucking her brains out the next. I guess he gets over her lost limbs and the fact he was supposed to be protecting her really quickly. And the mother who is trying to help her little girl recover, but stays in the kitchen tormented as she listens to Dakota screwing the hell out of her boyfriend - something Aubrey wouldn't do. Real realistic characters here, I tell you.

Since the story keeps the audience at a distance, never really putting together the reality that Dakota could be telling the truth, the movie has to make some gesture to captivate the audience. That gesture is gore – lots of it, as we get a few torture-porn sequences of what happened to Aubrey while she was abducted, from freezing off her fingers and hand to cutting her with (what else) crystalline blue instruments. But if this is a psychological thriller, why do we need the gore? The sequences reminded me how much more effective Michael Madson’s torture of the officer was in Reservoir Dogs. We knew what was happening, so we didn’t need to see it. Here they have to toss the visuals in, because the story has nothing else to offer.

I Know Who Killed Me isn’t captivating enough or deep enough to be considered a psychological thriller. It doesn’t make a case well enough to be much of a mystery. Instead it’s two hours of Lindsay Lohan trying to convince the audience and the other characters she’s someone that everything says she isn’t. Even the stripper sequences are painful to watch, with more eroticism coming from the archaic crack-whore at my corner 7-Eleven. This is the girl who did so well in Mean Girls but hasn’t done much since to live up to that promise. Fortunately, it looks like her real life may eclipse this sad chapter of her career. Maybe she can get out of that by claiming to be her own twin sister too. After all, after her Parent Trap remake and now this picture, she’s working on a career trend. Why not let life imitate art... if you can call this art.

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Josie
December 30, 2008 at 21:50

The hard rock song from the club scene is Freya by The Sword.

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Emma
December 5, 2008 at 19:02

ahhhh im sick of reading "where in this movie did their baby die or when did they mention he bought aubrey" seriously! pay attention..
ok with the whole twins thing - Mr flemmings bought aubrey from dekotas mother at the hospital, because their baby had died and he didnt want mrs flemmings to know. and yes they do mention it in the movie, the part right before dekota goes looking for aubrey. she comes into the room saying 'i know what u did!' blahblahblah
i thought the movie was gonna be way better. it kept me watching but after i was pretty annoyed at the ending .
coulda been better but coulda been alot worse.

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Luke
November 3, 2008 at 00:52

This movie was amazing. The story was unique, the use of colors was brilliant, and Lohan led the film better than anybody else could have. To continue with the symbolism faith was talking about... as Dakota is getting released from the hospital she is riding in the back of a cop car... the lights are flashing red-blue-red-blue on her face... it was truly amazing to catch these little hints as the movie went on. Apparently not many people actually watch a movie for what it is. Honestly, just because a movie is complicated, does not make it a bad movie - in fact, if one is smart enough, it makes it that much better.

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shanell
September 20, 2008 at 15:18

I agree with Faith...And I can't believe ppl are so dumb...they were TWINS...it wasn't in her head...Dakota knew where to find Aubrey because twins have a special connection with each other...have you ever met identical twins before? Watch the movie again and PAY ATTENTION

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Chelsea
August 23, 2008 at 16:27

Lindsay is so beautiful i dont care what shes in i love watching her in movies. I think shes an amazing actress and makes the whole fucking movie. i do wish the ending was different but lindsay didnt write the script she just acted and did a damn good job doing it.

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courtney
July 13, 2008 at 23:15

all i can say is wtf i mean really lindsey trys soooo hard to give this bullshit movie a fukin thumbs up when the whole plot was just idiotic.to think i waited 4 EVER 2 c this movie! God please some 1 shed some light and tell me.........................WTF happend at the end and to all of you who hate this movie I DONT BLAME U1!!

there i think i finally made my point

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Jazz
July 9, 2008 at 15:11

I just saw this movie last night. I thought it was okay, the end kinda disappointing, but Lindsey Lohan is gorgeous. :) i do think it's weird how the twins were separated at birth, and unnoticably so. how does that ever happen??

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Faith
July 7, 2008 at 21:47

Thanks Anna! :) Jeeze...... some ppl are dicks! lol and yes Mahoney- those are also great observations of how things can go either way. I like the idea of both instances- but still like the whole "real life" thing. lol But thank you for not being like those "other" ppl who if weren't inspired or found the movie even remotely entertaining would waste their time commenting on it negatively...lol

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mahoney
July 6, 2008 at 04:25

Btw the reason for all the blue in the film was another sign that it was fantasy in Aubrey's head. The killer was using very odd, unusual cutting tools, seemingly made from his very victims fluids (again, not spelled out and required for you to deduce, but it shows him draining off and collecting her blood at one point, shows he has an obsession with ice/freezing, then shows him using obviously home-made weapons that are made of something frozen). At any rate, the moment you saw him holding those striking, ice-blue weapons, you noticed it right? it was unusual. Well, so did Aubrey, and when she slips into her fantasy, she took that with her, and that same striking color goes with her, coloring almost every scene in her fantasy with it. I'm not sure if any of you have ever had a dream before, but it's pretty common place for you to take things fresh in your mind and dream about them.

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Anna
June 19, 2008 at 23:59

Faith...all i can say is..I totally agree with all your comments..the movie is great..Lindsay always does a good job acting and yes..the movie is easy to understand and only idiots will find it confusing and awfuL!

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um
May 28, 2008 at 02:21

well shit, sure symbolism is a really great thing... when you don't overuse it and throw it at people. it's not supposed to be too obvious. the movie was not brilliant. the acting was fucking awful, the plot was awful, the symbolism was shotty as well as the shooting of the movie. it was complete bullshit and i feel so, so sorry for anyone who actually paid to see it.

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Faith
May 25, 2008 at 21:04

Chrys and all who found the movie terrible:
Your a moron. That basically sums it up. Despite Lindsay's media responses, let's actually focus on the film here- if you truely knew how to analyze a film you would look at it like a piece of literature. This movie is full of symbolism and references that tie the whole movie together.
Take the most important symbol of all for example- The Red and The Blue: The Red stands for Dakota's risky and "wild" lifestyle... compared to Aubrey's cool, reserved, and somewhat "pure" and perfect homelife. Whenever Dakota appears on screen.. everythings is red around her- and for Aubrey- it's Blue. If you took the time to notice things you would see that at the beginning of the movie the neon sign for the strip club blinks on and off- the hand and leg. (another really subtle and brilliant aspect of the film: the hidden messages and meanings).
Most importantly- when the audience is not sure of whether or not there is a Dakota or if Aubrey is making this all up in her mind- we see more symbollism. The flashing red and blue lights of the police car divides Lindsay's face as if saying: "Is she Aubrey? Is she Dakota?" Another time she is still in the hospital and trying on that new leg- she is wearing BOTH blue and red (Top and pants)- symbols of the audience's confusion again. Also if you were really paying attention you would have realized that Dakota ONLY wore red outfits- epcially in the calm of Aubrey's blue room, and Aubrey always wore blue.
Now, to answer another supposed "mind-puzzling" question of yours- the killer was definately not random. MORE SYMBOLISM! ACTUALLY WATCH YOU IDIOT AND STOP TRYING TO TEAR THE MOVIE UP AND COMMENTING ON IT EVERY FIVE SECONDS! When "the killer" is finally revealed its supposed to all come to the audience and make sense- the director, Chris Sivertson, does a great job of this by moving the camera close up on the piano guy as he uses his HAND to play the keys, and his LEG to move the foot pedal. Random you say? No, definately not. This killer was upset because like most movie killers he had a passion: (music) "the piano". Once Aubrey rejected his teachings he felt that she shouln't do anything else with her life because "music" was her natural born talent, and she should be "punished" by removing the limbs that were required to persue that talent.
Now to answer your final question- YOUR moronic question: "Does she find her twin?" My Response: Nope, she finds a fucking mirror and lifts it out of the coffin.... Wow, seriously, what do YOU think???!! Of course she finds her! Are you mentally retarded? Jeeze, you just made yourself look real stupid by posting some shit like that. But anyay, no dumass, she is not dead. I think if you were burried six feet under in a glass coffin you wouldn't just pop up and say, "Oh hey! Thaks for saving me! Let's go!" I'm pretty sure you couldn't just walk away from something like that- and without a leg besides- what a fucking idiot you must be.
Anyway, I'm tired of answering these stupid questios of yours, so now I will make my final comments on this film. Basically, I LOVE the music that was chosen, its seductive and something you can really dance to. Its Fucking AMAZING and I tip my hat to whoever made the selection. Also, Lindsay Lohan... If you ever read this, FUCK everyone who puts you down, they only wish they were in your position. You are a great actress and I love you. Plus, the whole strip scenes... SEXY! You are probably the hottest woman alive and no one can disagree about that. So at last- FUCK ALL who lack the capacity to appreciate a film like this to its fullest extent... may you all mature one day and realize you CAN'T do the stuff these guys do everyday or imagine the pressure these people have to suffer... so FUCK YOU for even daring to put down people who have more experience, passion, and not to mention, STATUS than you do. Learn your place and shut your mouths if you don't know what the fuck your talking about.
I give "I Know Who Killed Me" 5 stars. BRILLIANT.

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Danielle
February 26, 2009 at 13:58

It's a matter of opinion. You shouldn't get so upset when someone doesn't agree with you.

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Hannah
May 5, 2008 at 22:51

I can't find the hard rock song she stripped to, either. Does anyone know it? It sounds vaguely Guitar Hero-ish.

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jenn
April 26, 2008 at 15:45

how is dakota aubrey's twin but for some reason knows exactly what aubrey's social security number is?

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gabs
March 2, 2008 at 18:54

hated the movie. loved the music. me and my friends all watched it at my house and we laughed the entire time. retarded movie.

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Anna
February 9, 2008 at 01:48

For those of you who didn't get it, Mrs. Flemings' real baby died and down the hall in the hospital, the junkie (Dakota's mom) gave birth to twins. Mr. Flemming paid her to keep one of the twins and kept this a secret from his wife. Dakota knew all along she had a twin sister. Douglas is Aubrey's piano teacher and I'm not sure why he likes to cut off limbs and torture girls. In the end, the father dies and Douglas is killed by Dakota and she in turn saves Aubrey who was buried.

Overall, this movie sucked! I had to read some spoiler to understand it. No where in the movie did it say that Mrs. Fleming's baby died and Mr. Fleming bought one of the twins. Geez.

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Mikhail
February 7, 2008 at 15:32

That's about the gayest film review I ever read in my whole life.

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Darions friend
January 24, 2008 at 23:09

Darion,

The song is Obscene Strategies by Trans Am from their lastest album Sex Change. All their music is pretty tight, so check them out.

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Jojeena
January 19, 2008 at 12:35

1 of my FAV movies

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Darion
January 18, 2008 at 12:31

Ok Im Just wondering if any one knows the song that is playing during the sex scene? its a really good song and i really want it

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Mike
January 18, 2008 at 12:30

HI Does anyone know what that song is that is playing when she gets out of the car and the gardner takes off his shirt and she gives him the finger?

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Colleen
January 14, 2008 at 22:33

all i can say is .. What the fuck?

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BoyOnFilm
January 13, 2008 at 13:44

THE SONGS IN THE MOVIE:

First Stripping Scene: Step On Inside by VietNam
Aubrey writing on her laptop: Maybe You Can Owe Me by Architecture In Helsinki
Second Stripping Scene: How Long by Out Hud

Also

A History of Bad Men by The Melvins is also a song from the movie, all of the songs in the film were well chosen and although I don't agree with the the harsh way alot of these reviewers went about their criticism I do concur that this was not the best of films. None the less I love my LiLo and this music!

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Bill
January 9, 2008 at 17:29

movie was pretty good once i figured out half the movie wasnt real... dakota was just an alter ego that aubery thought in her head laying in her death bed.. i read a guys comment and it made since.. he said that if dakota would have been real it would have showed another scene at the dad's funeral but instead it was a thought aubery had about how they could find her and her killer.. thats why dakota knew where to dig and it showed them both together even tho there was no twin!... i cant explain this like i want to i just hope i help someone that was wondering like me except this movie..lol.. i got straight out of bed and come looking for answers..

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nancy from hawaii
January 3, 2008 at 14:41

I love Lindsay Lohan, this movie was good, if you hate this movie so much why even take time to write a review, stop playa hating... Who cares if you think this movie sucked... Shes still making more money than you will in your lifetime...

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