Sometimes life dictates that the only reason you want to see a movie is because you quite fancy the lead actress. So, was it worth watching "Untraceable", just because it featured the gorgeous, sexy, babealicious, hotness that is Diane Lane? Well, it was and it wasn't.
"Untraceable" has a good central idea: A diabolical serial killer tortures and murders their victims live on the Internet, with the speed of death determined by how many people are logging onto the website to watch. It is an interesting premise that neatly dovetails into the debate about Internet responsibility and horror as entertainment. (As a quick sidebar, only today I read a story about a gang rape, filmed on a mobile phone, where the footage was posted to You Tube and watched by hundreds of people before it was taken down. Entertaining? No. Disgusting, frankly.)
"Untraceable" has a good director in Gregory Hoblit, a man who is probably never going to win any Oscars, but is a skilled practitioner in the art of making entertaining, twisty thrillers ("Primal Fear", "Fallen", "Frequency", et al.) I have enjoyed most of his films, even if the end of "Frequency" was a Coca Cola advertisement.
I was looking forward to "Untraceable", but sadly felt that it was not nearly hardcore enough for a target audience used to the mayhem of films like "Saw" or "Hostel". Yes, the two main murders are pretty gruesome and horrific (and ingenious), but "Untraceable" came across as far too lame, too slick, too smooth and too tasteful. But, I did consider the fact that maybe, if "Untraceable" had been a more vicious and grungy proposition, sexy Diane would not have signed up?
Oh, yes. One more thing.
Guys, your title "Untraceable" was rubbish. You should have called your movie "Kill With Me", the title of the fictional website in the movie. It has a certain ring to it. Don't you agree?
3 comments:
I sometimes will see a film only because of a lead actor, knowing full well the film will be rubbish. But I go anyway, and I have a miserable time and then I love the actor a little less because they sold their soul.
Oh, and Hello! I've informed LB of your new digs.
Sometimes everybody works for the money. Nothing wrong with that.
I remember a story about Michael Caine answering criticism about the masterpiece that was "Jaws 4". He disagreed with the critics who said that it was an unsuccessful film. He thought it was a very successful film because he had spent a very enjoyable summer in the bahamas filming it and it had also paid for his parents new house.
Cannot argue with that.
Give my best to LB.
what gets me about this film is the trailer.... which bangs on about a site "on the edge of the internet".
Eh?
How does that work?
The edge of the internet? Where's that then?
ST
(and hello, by the way)
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