Derailed (2006) September 7, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Mikael Håfström
I’m not sure if it’s just me, but Clive Owen seems to have been picking a lot of similar roles recently. Or maybe they’re not similar, maybe he just plays them the same. Either way there’s certainly a line that can be drawn through his characters in Closer, Sin City and now Derailed. I’m just not sure why.
Now I like Clive Owen as an actor. He has a certain moodiness that works pretty well in the movies he does, and he pulls it off again here without breaking a sweat. The plot revolves around a family man whose life has fallen into a middle-age rut. He’s not unhappy, but it’s certainly nothing to get excited about. He is thrown into turmoil when he meets an attractive woman (Jennifer Aniston), and proceeds to start an affair with her. When they check into a low rent hotel together they are robbed by a ruthless thief (Vincent Cassel) – he beats up Owen and rapes Aniston, leaving them to deal with the consequences.
That’s not the end of it however. Cassel then proceeds to blackmail Owen for more and more money, or else he’ll reveal the affair he discovered to Owen’s wife. It’s an interesting set-up with everyone performing strongly in their characters, Aniston particularly playing away from the light, funnier roles we are used to seeing her in. There are a couple of good twists along the way, but whether you catch them early or not is probably based on whether you’re trying to second-guess the story.
Though not outstanding overall, this movie has some good things going for it. The mugging in the hotel is particularly brutal and effective, plus it’s well shot, showing how quickly their affair goes from enjoyable lust to fearsome danger. And the scene where Cassel shows up at Owen’s family home raises the tension nicely. So it’s kind of a shame that when the final twist is played a lot of the pressure is suddenly released, and the ending becomes like any average revenge thriller.
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