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I'm really liking Clive Owen and the films he's got lined up and his body of work so far. After Sin City and his Oscar nominated performance in Closer, I'm certain he's going to do bigger and better things. So along comes this advance screening pass for Derailed - a new thriller that has him with Jennifer Aniston.
Set up seems pretty good. Mid level executive who's getting a bit worn down by his daily routine meets a beautiful woman on his train to work, and manages to catch each other's eye. Conversation starts, then things start to lead them each astray from their significant others. Finally, they call home with the "I'm going to be late" excuse and have a night on the town.
But, when they go to consumate their affair, a man breaks in (played by the usually great French actor Vincent Cassell) and takes each of their wallets and proceeds to make life hell for Owen's character. They don't go to the police, because their private lives would be ruined in asking what they were doing at the hotel in the first place. Then their assailant starts to call, demanding money from Owen's character.
Sounds kind of rote and routine - something like a variation of Michael Keaton's character in Pacific Heights or something like that, and in part it is. It's just hard to watch a film and believe that a criminal in this day and age would be so fucking brazen and in the face of the guy he's screwing with ( ie. Letting him see his face).
Part of the problem lies in the casting. It's kind of hard to watch Clive Owen take the shit that he does in this film, considering the last film he was in, he took on Benecio Del Toro and nearly drowned him in his own piss. As for Aniston, she's an unfortunate weak link to the film, and although she starts off with a strong start, the film falls apart with each scene involving her after the hotel room invasion.
The only real surprise in this is the Wu Tang's Rza (yes, as in THAT Rza) who does a great turn as Winston - an office mail room clerk who's got his life straight and friend of Owen's character.
It's too bad this film goes over the top like it does, as the cast of great actors are good in their roles, but miscast for the most part, and unable to sell the rather silly shakedowns and Owen's helplessness. It also doesn't help that I nailed the plot twist in the first five minutes of the film.
Rental. And too bad too. I wanted to like this much, much more.
Set up seems pretty good. Mid level executive who's getting a bit worn down by his daily routine meets a beautiful woman on his train to work, and manages to catch each other's eye. Conversation starts, then things start to lead them each astray from their significant others. Finally, they call home with the "I'm going to be late" excuse and have a night on the town.
But, when they go to consumate their affair, a man breaks in (played by the usually great French actor Vincent Cassell) and takes each of their wallets and proceeds to make life hell for Owen's character. They don't go to the police, because their private lives would be ruined in asking what they were doing at the hotel in the first place. Then their assailant starts to call, demanding money from Owen's character.
Sounds kind of rote and routine - something like a variation of Michael Keaton's character in Pacific Heights or something like that, and in part it is. It's just hard to watch a film and believe that a criminal in this day and age would be so fucking brazen and in the face of the guy he's screwing with ( ie. Letting him see his face).
Part of the problem lies in the casting. It's kind of hard to watch Clive Owen take the shit that he does in this film, considering the last film he was in, he took on Benecio Del Toro and nearly drowned him in his own piss. As for Aniston, she's an unfortunate weak link to the film, and although she starts off with a strong start, the film falls apart with each scene involving her after the hotel room invasion.
The only real surprise in this is the Wu Tang's Rza (yes, as in THAT Rza) who does a great turn as Winston - an office mail room clerk who's got his life straight and friend of Owen's character.
It's too bad this film goes over the top like it does, as the cast of great actors are good in their roles, but miscast for the most part, and unable to sell the rather silly shakedowns and Owen's helplessness. It also doesn't help that I nailed the plot twist in the first five minutes of the film.
Rental. And too bad too. I wanted to like this much, much more.
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