Untraceable Review
Posted by Chad Webb on 01.30.2008
I detect gigantic traces of idiocy.
Diane Lane: Jennifer Marsh
Billy Burke: Detective Eric Box
Colin Hanks: Griffin Dowd
Joseph Cross: Owen Reilly
Mary Beth Hurt: Stella Marsh
Peter Lewis: Richard Brooks
Tyrone Giordano: Tim Wilks
Perla Haney-Jardine: Annie Haskins
Directed By: Gregory Hoblit
Written By: Robert Fyvolent/Mark Brinker/Allison Burnett
Release Date: January 25, 2008
Running Time: 100 minutes
Rated R for grisly violence and torture, and some language.
One piece of the pie to fashioning a gripping story is an original concept. If the screenwriter and director can grasp the viewers' attention with something they have never seen before, half the battle is then won. Unfortunately, a film cannot flourish on only the uniqueness of the idea. Just as important, if not more so, is the execution of that concept, no matter how inventive it may be. Untraceable does not follow this guideline for one second. It is a thriller that drowns in a vast amount of clichés, and never offers the slightest sign of wanting to make a recovery. Instead, it suffocates due to its own pretense.
Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) works for the FBI's Cyber Crime Division in Portland. After the death of her husband, who was also an FBI agent, she is left to raise her daughter with her mother assisting. She works the night shift to be with her during the day. Along with co-worker Griffin Dowd (Colin Hanks), Jennifer's intelligence puts all sorts of computer criminals behind bars. One day, when she stumbles upon the website entitled Killwithme and sees a kitten purposely ensnared in a rat trap, it alarms her instantly. Nothing can be done at that time since they have human issues to deal with. Soon enough, the website displays an actual person. It appears to be streaming live. The individual is hooked up to the computer so that the more hits the website receives the faster the apparatus comes to ending his life. The cop who picks up the case is Detective Eric Box (Billy Burke). He joins with Jennifer in an attempt to find the culprit quicker. However, the killer proves to be one step ahead of the game and has discovered methods to change his URL's and block anyone who traces him. As more victims pop up, the site's popularity continues to rise, and the authorities realize they must apprehend him soon.
Diane Lane is better than this. It is a tragedy that she is now starring in putrid thrillers. For the better part of a decade, Lane has been relatively consistent in terms of her performances. The films might not always be stellar, but usually she doesn't disappoint. Jennifer Marsh marks one of her worst portrayals in quite some time. If she is trying at all, her efforts are futile next to the script. Not only does Lane look exhausted in this role, but sorely out of place. She rests comfortably in romances like Under the Tuscan Sun or Unfaithful, not as an FBI cyber detective. She recalls Halle Berry in Perfect Stranger. A thriller is the last category one would want to spot these women in. The choice accentuates their weaknesses.
Ever since Orange County, an underrated comedy about transitioning from high school to college, Colin Hanks appeared to emerging slowly from his father's enormous shadow. Thus far he has been a genuinely commendable and affable young thespian. Resorting to the role of internet whiz kid Griffin Dowd that would have normally been assumed by Seth Green or Giovanni Ribisi is embarrassing considering his pedigree. Thankfully, he was not stuck with endless amounts of wisecracks. On the other hand, his character always has a date booked. This is supposed to be humorous. I failed to laugh. Apparently I missed the joke. The younger Hanks needs no pointers on his skills, just on what projects to accept. Griffin is so incredibly paper thin, he bafflingly utters the classic line "Who is this guy?" when the murderer turns out be smarter than the average hacker.
The majority of the parts on Billy Burke’s resume will display someone in a position of authority such as a detective, fire fighter, attorney, or any derivation thereof. He just has that aura surrounding his stature, tired expression, and unshaven beard. As Detective Eric Box, Burke is a dime a dozen, or twelve for ten cents. Viewers have seen this type of investigator thousands of times before. He does not echo anyone in particular. If a Sin City character was made, labeled as a detective or a police officer, the likely result would resemble Burke. His relationship with Jennifer Marsh is as banal as the superfluous line that’s inserted which reveals he knew Jennifer’s deceased husband. And one night, out of the blue, he pays a visit to the house of the widowed cyber mom. During this visit he, a) confesses his secret obsession with Sister, Sister, b) breaks out in a song and dance number to win Jen’s heart, or c) brings over a surprising meal for dinner to console the grieving woman with absolutely no other intentions (:sarcasm:). I think we all know the answer.
I do not hate Untraceable for its juvenile strive for tension and suspense, or the two teasing Lane shower moments. I do not hate Untraceable for the books' worth of predictable scenes and blatant clichés like Jennifer Marsh frantically searching her house at night, and then suddenly ripping open the closet door with the gun pointed inside. Honestly, is a serial murderer ever going to cower in the closet? In the history of film, has this ever occurred? I despise this film for what it was deliberately aiming to achieve. Some people have compared it to Se7en. The notion is laughable, and David Fincher just did a somersault at the thought. Perhaps Director Gregory Hoblit wanted us to imagine this idea. No, Untraceable wanted first and foremost to be a tamed Saw. The trailer cleverly disguises the thriller elements contained in the premise. Once you start watching, the clouds and haze will lift, and the objective will become crystal clear. The tortuous devices and teasing on part of the evil orchestrator had Saw in mind. A lot of critics might bash that franchise, but at least it has the guts to not hold anything back and be blunt in regards to its target. This sorry excuse for a movie wished to turn down the volume of the contraptions that Jigsaw made famous.
The filmmaker, Gregory Hoblit has dazzled the world before with white-knuckle portrayals from Edward Norton, Richard Gere, and Laura Linney in the spectacular Primal Fear. He also managed to take the absurd fantasy angle in Frequency and transform it into a believable storyline. Fracture, his previous offering from 2007 was a recycled and hackneyed court room drama, but was watchable nonetheless. This is the lowest dip of his career by far. Hoblit has been close to masterful throughout his tenure in shaping matchless slaughterers, but he has fallen dreadfully short on this occasion. To be truthful, the motive for the “internet killer”, as he is so tediously named, is actually neat. Since this comprises all of about two minutes, not many points can be tacked onto the final rating.
Almost every aspect of Untraceable is repugnant. It even becomes redundant. Someone is killed, the agency stares at it online, and they arrive too late. This routine continues for over an hour. Possibly the worst move the half a dozen or so nobody screenwriters took was preaching to the public about its fixation for violence and affinity for voyeurism. So not only is Untraceable stupid and pathetic in its attempt to convey witty computer lingo, but it is also hypocritical and insulting. As far as cyber thrillers are concerned, I’m sticking with Hackers and Anti Trust. This is one of the worst films of 2008.
The 411: I’ll give credit to whoever constructed the trailer for Untraceable. They took the material, and shaped it into something that appeared intriguing and interesting. Unfortunately, the actual film is a completely deplorable piece of cinema. It tries to preach about the people who watch shock videos, yet it never hesitates to echo the Saw series around every corner. Diane Lane and Colin Hanks will hopefully brush this little mishap under the rug and forget about it. By all accounts, Untraceable seems like a perfectly acceptable thriller. However, it is an absolute atrocity. I have no patience, nor kind words to offer it.
