“Derailed” thrills with mental depth
Charles (Clive Owen, “Closer”) lives a regular, middle-class life with a happy, suburban family and a fulfilling job. But the tense, restrained music that plays during the opening credits tells us that all of this is about to change. Through the random operations of chance, Charles meets Lucinda (Jennifer Aniston, “Bruce Almighty”) who’s just as sexy and mysterious as her name. Although both of these strangers are married, it doesn’t stop them from being hypnotized by each other’s elusive beauty. A nervous affair gradually develops between the two only to be followed by an eruption of blackmail and murder that comes out of nowhere to victimize both of them.
This is the first American film from Swedish-born director Mikael Hafstrom. And while the film doesn’t exactly grasp you in its thick clutches, there are moments of memorable panic. What begins as a dark secret of lust soon travels into more perilous territory where life and death take surprising turns.
“Derailed” relies mostly on psychological drama and suspense. Consequently, there aren’t a lot of scenes where a physical game of cat and mouse is played out. This makes the overall level of suspense consistently mediocre. In fact, there were only two moments where my heart was truly racing. Now this does not mean that “Derailed” is a horrible film, it just doesn’t end up being an amazing one. There are some exciting twists in character development and plot but there is no crashing climax. Since the use of physical action is so minimal, the story is a bit slow getting started and it fails to sustain speed during a few parts.
Despite the storyline’s partial slowness, “Derailed” features some great dramatic performances. Yes, everyone, Jennifer Aniston CAN carry a serious role just like when she starred in the tragic 2002 film, “The Good Girl.” She gives a nicely layered portrayal of a vulnerable, ambiguous woman. The supporting roles don’t try too hard, either, with Vincent Cassel (“Ocean’s Twelve”) as a ruthless con man and Melissa George (“The Amityville Horror”) as a loving, but dismayed wife.
Without Clive Owen, however, this film would have been much worse. He prevails in this leading role as a hard-working man who first becomes engulfed by his fears and anxieties, but then fights them off as he tries to turn the tables on his enemies.
“Derailed” is another film that is not for the faint of heart. It doesn’t exactly make you squirm in your seat every second, but there are a few moments where the sexual content and violence get alarming. The film then tries to balance that out with the psychological developments of the protagonists. Even though there are a few frightening encounters, this film isn’t as complicated or shocking as it seems.
Divided into three sections of chronological time, the director tries to pack more surprises into each one, but it unfortunately does not create a sliding crescendo of danger. With sleek editing and compelling characters, “Derailed” remains sufficient, but not incredible.
Casey T. Allen is a movie critic for the Utah
Statesman. Comments can be sent to
caseyal@cc.usu.edu.