Fora de Rumo

PRE Oscars REVIEW: I just saw a pre-screening of the film "Derailed" starring the great Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston. What that means is that it wasn't a final version but very close to it. Well I must say I was eager to place Owen into contention for an Oscar nomination after last year popular "Closer." I'm sorry to say that he is out and it's due to the poor, predictable script.

The story was very underdeveloped and a bit unrealistic but the performances of Owen, Aniston, and Vincent Cassel kept the film moving. This movie was Unfaithful meets Matchstick Men meets Reindeer Games. I would recommend the film for a good popcorn flick but in terms of Oscar I would take it out of the game. Owen captures the nature of his character but flops in terms of staying in the location meaning his American accent. Although he is truly the hero of the story and you love the character. He got a couple of "claps" during the film. Aniston gives a very different performance than what we're used to but it works. She's very talented and I would love to see her nominated in the next coming years.

The standout of the cast is Vincent Cassel who's villainous, dark performance will go down in the books as one of the greatest villainous performances in the past years. He truly makes you hate him and you leave with a feeling in your stomach from him on screen. The worst part of the entire film was the terrible musical score which is very distracting and annoying but hopefully with better editing they'll get rid of it and hire someone new. So-so script and good performances make a pretty decent flick.

After checking out the plot and storyline for Derailed , I can comfortably turn round say that the recommendations posted on here were correct. This film takes the sticks to the old formula and thusly gives a us a very solid thriller rather than an overblown big budget flick . Clive Owen was brilliant playing his role - they should of chosen him for 007 instead of Daniel Craig I felt , and he is the type of character that I felt nearly every man can relate to in someway especially the relationship he has with his boss and not to mention his lateness to work (2 things which I know all to well). However Jennifer Aniston really has done a fine performance and she proves that by taking on this daring role and telling us that her Friends days are well behind her . Vincent Cassel really makes your blood boil, and you do want to smash his face in !!! The settings , moods ,all make it gritty and realistic so beware this could happen to you ! The only draw backs were that the second half of the movie was a little too rushed but giving Owen's situation I was willing to let it slide and the ever so annoying Xibit still trying to scare us with his gun-toting ways . Apart from that all I can say is that it is worth a look , may not be everyones cup of tea but Aniston fans won't be let down . recommended indeed . DERAILED - A STRONG 7.5 OUT 10 .

I saw a sneak preview of this film yesterday in Toronto (Younge & Eglington Theatre) There are some "cheesy" moments but I'm happy to say that they are far and few between.

The acting is not academy-award winning but you will be pleased with the performances.

It is an engaging film that brings you into a dark and gritty underworld that actually can feel quite real at times. You feel for the lead character.

One of the strengths of this film is character development.

It also has some twists that may actually surprise you in a good way.

I think the real downfall of this film is that it has a "Hollywood" ending. For me the film loses points for this.

One final note: the climax, although still good, was pieced together in such a way that it did not hold the tension enough for the theater audience. There was laughter and some heckling in my theater.

I wouldn't walk into this film expecting a ground-breaking film that will change the genre forever, but it is does have some good pacing and the story moved along quite nicely. It is an enjoyable film that I recommend.

I'm surprised to see some low ratings for this movie because I found it to be really good. I didn't find a boring moment thru out the whole movie and the ending was so twisted... it just brought everything together. I wasn't sure of what the movie was about so I was definitely caught off guard with the whole plot. It sort of starts out like a love story, then next thing you know the guns come flying. Its different from any other movie I've seen with realistic outcomes and life situations. At times I wasn't sure if I was on the good guy's or bad guy's side because in a way, the main character deserved some of what he got. And I also understood why the bad guys chose their targets without remorse. If I wasn't given a background of the main character, I don't think i would've felt bad for him. Anyway, its a good movie and I'd definitely recommend checking it out.

Derailed is directed by Mikael Håfström and adapted to screenplay by Stuart Beattie from James Siegel's novel. It stars Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassell, Melissa George and RZA. Music is scored by Ed Shearmur and cinematography by Peter Biziou.

Charles (Owen) and Lucinda (Aniston) meet on a commuter train and in spite of the fact they are married, start flirting. Ending up in a hotel one night, they're beaten and robbed by LaRoche (Cassell) who promptly starts blackmailing Charles......

There's a decent thriller in the mix here, if only it had had a director able to hide the surprises and a writer capable of not making his male protagonist such an unlikable git! It's a shame because the premise is a good one, and there are good performances from an agreeable cast. Film essentially asks us to root for Charles as he battles with a reoccurring villain of some nastiness (Cassell genuinely unnerving), yet not only is he a love cheat (a lovely wife at home and a very sick daughter), he also makes ridiculous errors of judgement. While the holes in logic for some sequences are bafflingly poor. Still, it does have thrills and it doesn't soft soap the violence. Taken on popcorn thriller terms, it's above average and worth a watch, but it's not half as clever as it thinks it is. 6/10