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Men, they’re suckers for the women, aren’t
they? Go into any history book and you’ll be able to find at least five
men whose ultimate downfall was a very good looking woman. It’s also
made up some of the best movies of all time. “King Kong,” “Casablanca,”
and even “Double Indemnity.” After missing his train one morning,
Charlie finds himself allured by a woman passenger who happens to have
everything Charlie wants. Stuck in a loveless marriage that still
survives because of the love for his daughter, Charlie finds himself at
a crossroads. In the throws of passion, Charlie, and his to-be mistress
Lucinda find themselves at the mercy of a ruthless murderer named
Larouche who interrupts Charlie’s life with blackmail and death threats.
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But who is playing whom? And who
in Charlie’s life keeps leading Larouche into a dead end in
his attempts to evade Larouche? I have to admit, the fact
that Clive Owen headlines this competent thriller pretty
much made the film for me. Being a hardcore McQueen fan, I
see a lot of him in Owen, and Owen can never seem to dial it
down, even when playing this wimpy man crippled by his fear,
and the grave Larouche keeps digging for him. |
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As all
neo-noir, “Derailed” relies on the slight of hand to trick its
audience into buying what we see before us, and challenges us to
delve into the aspect of the story we don’t have the imagination to
think up.
As you may think, “Derailed” is filled
with twists and turns and doesn’t just remain a vapid story about a
man caught in a love affair. I expected almost nothing, and instead
received a lot from this. The red herrings shoot hard and fast, with
some pretty good characterization, particularly on such a minor
character as Winston, who plays assistant to Charlie’s attempts to
dig himself out of this hole. Rza’s performance is nothing special,
but the character is so interesting, I wanted to see where he was
going. As for Jennifer Aniston, she manages to give off immense
sexual appeal engaging in some steamy sex scenes and even a rape
sequence.
Though
“Derailed” didn’t break the image she brought to life, she gives a
well enough performance as a character who serves her purpose as
she’s supposed to. The damsel in distress, and the femme fatale, and
she does it well. Hafstrom’s neo-noir is a fascinating and
consistently entertaining thriller that fools its audience
constantly and delves into this impossibly solid grave this man can
not get himself out of. Vincent Cassell is really very good as the
villain we love to hate, Larouche, who is always one step ahead of
Charlie’s attempts. With the usual tight direction, and tense plot
devices, “Derailed” is a well done neo-noir that tangles itself
constantly and doesn’t ease up until it decides.
But then again, anyone who has ever been
accustomed to the noir genre, or any thriller ever made, you’ll find
“Derailed” to be an awfully predictable film. Awfully is pretty much an
understatement. “Derailed” is possibly the most predictable thriller
I’ve ever seen with twists and turns that go as any film cynic will
expect it to. We know why Larouche appears at the hotel room, we know
the meeting at the train has a sense of purpose to the entire story, and
we just know what will happen to Charlie. It’s almost as if the writers
refuse to let this story end realistically, so we’re given this insanely
tacked on and awfully safe climax that I saw coming over the hills and
far away. “Derailed” never stops feeling like a remake of a Michael
Douglas thriller, and it never stops giving the audience the punch line
before finishing the damn joke. I bet by the end of this review you've
guessed the entire plot, haven't you? Nah, I'm overestimating you.
It’s one of the most predictable thrillers
ever made, but it’s also very engrossing mainly because of Clive Owen
giving his usual rousing performance, Jennifer Aniston increasing her
sex appeal, and the story’s ability to fool the audience every once in a
while. It may not be perfect, but it’s competent enough to entertain.
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