Derailed

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 .

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

At first I thought wow, Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston, 2 big names. Might be good. I was a bit disappointed. Aniston's character is very flat and one-dimensional in the movie - very forgettable. Clive's acting is convincing, but the plot sucks. The villain (Vincent Cassel) looked pathetic and hardly scary. Even though he commits lots of violent acts in the movie, he really doesn't inspire fear in me. He actually looked more convincing dressed up as an office colleague of Clive Owen's in one particular scene, than when he's dressed as a street thug. Perhaps its because he's a bit too skinny and his skin is too good, perhaps its because his facial features looking more like a 17th century European aristocrat than some Chicago street thug. I think he'd probably do better acting as a psycho-killer rather than a professional thug.

By the end of the movie, I was really unimpressed. Yes the plot didn't really turn out like anyone had suspected, but its more of a "oh right, so what?" feeling I had, rather than a "oh my god. I can't believe it" feeling. By then I was just waiting, sitting there, hoping that something good - something really good - better come along soon, because I've not even gotten excited yet. But it never happened - and I never got excited or scared once throughout the whole movie.

I really wouldn't pay to watch this at the cinema - it would be like when I watched SWAT at the movies a few years ago. It feels like my money would be better spent elsewhere. Probably okay to watch this at home if you didn't have to pay like full price to rent this - if this movie was in the bargain bins somewhere in the video store.

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.

Don't miss "Derailed". It is far from a big production, yet its twists and turmoil grip the spectator and force him to highly concentrate and attach to the movie's agitated rhythm. The Neanderthal chemistry between the couple of Owen and Anniston, translates to off screen, giving a satisfactory acting result, although individually many faults can be advised. Vincent Cassel plays the thief with a chilling magnitude."The book manipulates the reader so he cannot advise what is coming next", says Owen's character to her daughter, while analyzing a book together, as a hidden preface. Mikael Häfstrøm (who is quite unknown) cuts into the Hollywood formula and plays with the character psychological aspects while dipping and destroying their life's with certain Hitchcock reminiscences- Don't be confused; this thriller follows the book of Hollywood and has it's own particularities. Now, if you like fast, exciting rides where you remain in the dark and eager to know, this movie is for you. Otherwise, if you like intellectual films; maybe you won't pack to "rail in" to this movie.