Derailed (2005)

Starring Jennifer Anniston, Clive Owen, Vincent Cassel and Melissa George, it’s a movie of lust, blackmail, and revenge.

I may have seen one preview for this movie, tops. I saw Jennifer Anniston in a dramatic role, and Clive Owen is ok, I knew that I would probably try to see this. But I didn’t enjoy the movie as much when I was actually watching it, as I did after I went home and thought about it.

I am sure this concept has been done before. I just know that I didn’t guess what was going to happen, and was surprised at every turn. Jennifer Anniston is evil. She seduces these stupid men looking for the “Greener Grass” and then just as they are about to have their time in a dumpy hotel, a man breaks in, beats the hell out of the man, and what looks like a rape for Anniston.

Soon, the rapist / blackmailer (Vincent Cassel who was equally devious in Oceans 12) starts calling Owen’s house, making money demands. Owen tries to protect his family, his little girl who has serious diabetes, and Anniston who he thinks was raped. His life starts to spiral our of control, his friend is killed, his job is in jeopardy, and he is loosing all of his money.

After the final drop off of money, he finds out Anniston was involved. But, this is what I thought was strange, Anniston and Cassel stick around the city for more victims. Owen follows Anniston and has a plot to get revenge and to stop them. At this point I was cheering him on, so scared and angry that something like this could happen to a semi-decent man (if you forget the cheating). He is involved in a shoot out at the hotel that kills Cassel’s associate in X-ibit, and Anniston.

You think that everything is finished there, but soon we cut to a scene with Owen teaching in a prison rehab center. He has lost his job at the advertising agency, and you aren’t sure where it is going, and how the different opening all ties together. He receives a workbook that has the whole story among many other notebooks with the criminals assignments. Cassel is waiting for him as Owen ventures into the back, where the laundry is done. But Owen walks out alive, all along he had planned on seeing Cassel again. The audience thinks he is dead in the shoot out scene, but he survives at the loss of an eye. Owen knew this, and knew what he had to do to finish it.

I may watch this movie another time, I don’t know. I was caught off guard, and it wasn’t what I expected. It ended good, the regular Joe wins, but it is hard to watch at times, and is pretty brutal and in your face with the violence. If you can handle some violence and like twists, this movie is for you. Sarah actually liked it for the most part, it kept her attention. But I wouldn’t recommend this to my mom, nor to most of my friends. I gave it high markings for an original idea and good acting, so if you like what I rate, you may want to see it just once.

Here are some similar arcade posts

• The Break-Up (2006)
• The Punisher (2004)
• Beyond Borders (2003)
• Shall We Dance (2004)
• Bruce Almighty (2003)

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