User reviews

Critics and Hollywood wake up. All you need is one set, a sharp script and the movie to be well acted. This twisted indie crime thriller didnt disappoint, despite the flaws.

It starts when following a bloodbath prologue, the enigmatic and bruised Rebecca (Abbie Cornish) wakes up in a dilapidated police station. The pace of the drama, the unpredictability and the predictability will keep you entertained and guessing until the end.

Usually when I see the Quiver logo before a film I get scared, but I was pleasantly surprised by Detained. Not a masterpiece, but it has its moments. So worth a watch.

I don't really know what made me choose to watch this movie. Maybe it was the short description on IMDB that caught my attention. I have seen many great movies with the same premise, so there was a chance that this movie would be interesting. In many ways, Detained reminds me of the Saw movies, where some people with vastly different backgrounds, yet something in common, wake up in a room without remembering how they ended up there. Unlike the Saw movies, however, this is not a horror film with a lot of bloody traps. This film uses manipulation and dialogue to play everyone against each other, sometimes in an overly simplistic way. The movie contains some twists and turns, but it takes a bit more to fool a seasoned movie lover like me. It's a downside that I figured out how it would end relatively early in the film. But it is not a boring movie, so if you're bored and don't really know what to do, you could give this one a chance.

Detained is about a young woman held in police custody for a DUI resulting in the death of a cyclist. However the detention does not go according to plan, and there are twists and turns along the way that make this a half decent thriller.

I saw Abbie Cornish's name on the cast list and almost didn't watch it as she is by no means an A or even a B lister of note. However I was intrigued by some write ups so decided to give it a watch.

Almost the entire movie is filmed in the police station and it's filmed quite well too. The direction is also very passable, although the story which has tons of potential, isn't as good as it could have been. Same with the acting, with the best performance coming from Moon Bloodgood. Cornish is passably OK although still in B movie territory for me.

I wouldn't rave about it as the main -almost mythical- bad character known as JoVan is identifiable within the first half hour. Some of the acting is poor and the story could be much better. However I gave it a 5 as if you've got nothing else to watch, it's not awful.

Detained is a strong contender for worst film of the year so far, I haven't seen a thriller this insanely overblown and outlandishly meaningless since... I dunno. It's sad to see a classy actress like Abbie Cornish stuck in this crap, playing a young woman who wakes up in a police station and is grilled by two hostile detectives (Moon Bloodgood & Laz Alonso) about a supposed hit and run that she has no memory of. Of course that's not really what's going on, and once the film gets past that initial setup and tries to orchestrate a bunch of stupid twists that it thinks are oh so clever, you'll abandon all hope of making sense of it. It tries everything to impress; weird double crosses, red herrings, nonsensical plot turns and even an eye rolling Keyser Soze angle that makes it feel even more like a try-hard ripoff. I have seen thrillers that walk a fine line in making sense of their more bombastic elements and even some that don't, but get a free pass on sheer energy and enthusiasm alone. This one gets neither; it's loud, mean spirited, lazy storytelling of the worst kind.

Rebecca Kamen (Abbie Cornish) wakes-up at the interrogation room of a derelict precinct that will be renovated without any recollection of the previous night. Detective Avery (Laz Alonso) and Detective Moon (Moon Bloodgood) interrogate her about a hit-and-run, and her smashed bumper is the evidence. Det. Moon interrogates Robert (John Patrick Amedori) and Det. Avery brings Rebecca to hear what he is saying. She recalls that she flirted with him in the bar where she was drinking and then went to her car to make out and she might have been drugged. Rebecca lawyer up, and the lawyer Isaac Barsi (Justin H. Min) visits her at the jail. She says that he is not her lawyer, but he explains that he works in the same office, and she is in Tokyo. Rebecca is left in a jail with Jess (Josefine Lindegaard) and Sullivan (Silas Weir Mitchell) and her friend Sarah (Breeda Wool) visits her and indicates her to run. When Sullivan becomes violent in the jail, Det. Moon tries to contain the prisoner, but her weapon falls from her hand and Sullivan is suffocating her. She asks Rebecca to shoot him with her weapon, but the shot goes through him and hits Moon. The angry Det. Avery brings Rebecca to his office, and she offers one million dollars to him to forget the incident. He asks two million dollars and when Rebecca is ready to transfer the money, she notes something wrong and suspects it may be a sham.

"Detained" (2024) is an intriguing low-budget thriller, with great storyline, screenplay and performances. The plot keeps the viewer tense from the beginning to the end and surprisingly it is underrated in IMDb. The duel between Abbie Cornish and Laz Alonso is excellent, but the identity of Javon is easy to find in the end. The conclusion shows who is who. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Detained"

Abbie Cornish! A gem. I wonder why we don't see her more in A bracket movies.

Detained has an interesting premise and plot, but clearly it's a budget production. There are some really awesome scenes and twists, but you should pick this one if you need more of a pass time activity if you just want to sit down and nap, rather than hoping for something you'll remember the next day.

If a few kinks and cliches would've been ironed out, the film could've been very good. I was debating myself between giving 5 stars or 6 stars, but clearly there are better pieces in this genre to pick even on the budget side.

Looking forward to seeing Cornish in upcoming productions, she's really good.

I grew up on the Twilight Zone and love the genre - even when the delivery falls short. So when I see a low budget film like this, I just imagine I'm putting on a modern Twilight Zone episode and just enjoy it for what it is. There is something lovely about a closed set and a variety of actors with diverse motivations and a Cube or Usual Suspects flavor that is just fun for its own sake. You can't watch this hoping for a Fincher outcome and then ding it when it doesn't meet that expectation. That said, if they had tightened the script a bit more and done a few more takes for some of the emotional moments, it would have landed better. Give Mucci some dollars and let him make another one. I kept thinking I saw flashes of inspiration that might prove profitable next time around.

Watching this film for our annual movie night was a pleasant surprise.

As someone who doesn't usually enjoy thrillers I was engaged with the plot of the movie from start to finish! It boggles my mind how this movie only took 20 days to shoot and that the majority of filming took place in such a small set!

The way the actors all played off each other, made this balls-to-the-walls scenario really shine. Apparently this is the directors first feature length film which is incredibly impressive and I'll be on the lookout for other movies from this director in the future!

Give it a watch when you're in the mood for a good B-Grade movie.

"Detained" (2024), starring Abbie Cornish and Laz Alonso, is a film with an incredible storyline that keeps you guessing until the very end. The plot is filled with twists and turns, making it an engaging watch for those who enjoy suspenseful narratives.

However, the film is significantly hampered by its performances. The acting is notably poor, to the point where it detracts from the overall experience. The cast fails to bring the compelling story to life, and a remake with a new cast could potentially do justice to the script.

The action scenes, despite the film's low budget, are shot well and add a dynamic element to the movie. Noteworthy moments include a particularly intense baby scene and the gunfights towards the film's climax, both of which are executed surprising well.

Ultimately, I cannot recommend "Detained" due to the subpar acting, which is difficult to sit through. However, the storyline's twists and the well-executed action scenes might make it worth a watch for some. Personally, I might revisit the movie to connect dots I missed in the beginning, but it's a tough sit for those who value strong performances.

Film exceeds the expectations, given the budget limit. It works with what it has, turning closed set with limited opportunities into a strong plot point. It has quite well-written, down-to-earth story. Characters are believable, consistent and strongly motivated each by their own struggle in life. Decent to great performance overall, depiction of physical anguish could sometimes be better, although it's but a drop in a sea of tense character showdowns.

Camerawork is on a whole different level, keeping you immersed in a story, and the set is incredibly well-put together. Keeps the atmosphere and doesn't have any "filler" moments just to extend the length of the film, so watching it is quite engaging.

The movie is well-paced, with great twists here and there, albeit it's quite easy to figure out who is who midway through the film. Not a disadvantage, per ce, and I would even rewatch it to take a closer look at some specific details I might have missed the first time.

Good film, can definitely recommend for those who have a couple of hours on their hands.

I loved this movie. If you put aside the budgetary constraints and the "flaws" that some film critics so love to harp on, it's a good thriller flick. For those film critics who have actually made a decent film, then by all means, your opinion counts. For those who haven't, maybe go back to playing video games in your mom's basement. It's so easy to be an armchair judge, isn't it? You might suspect who the villain is early on, but nonetheless, the pace of this thriller keeps you enthralled to the very end. You may need to watch it more than once to fully understand the plot. It's fun to watch it the second time because then you can enjoy the humor that the director (Felipe Mucci) so sneakily inserts into various parts of the film. Ignore the nay-sayers and let yourself be hoodwinked for a couple of hours. It's a fun ride! The cast in this movie is awesome. They deserve all the respect for their very hard work. Kudos to them. Loved it!

Review by D. LaFluff.