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Abandon by Stephen Gaghan
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Canada
DVD Cover InformationActor: Benjamin Bratt, Charlie Hunnam, Fred Ward, Katie Holmes, Zooey Deschanel Director: Stephen Gaghan DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled) Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen Picture Format: 1.85:1 Running Time: 98 minutes DVD Release Date: 2003-03-18 Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of AbandonMovie Review: Looking at this to see Charlie Hunnam? Summary: 4 StarsIn the director's commentary, (director, screenwriter) Gaghan and (cinematographer) Libatique spend A LOT of time talking about the lighting and tones and colors... Don't be fooled. It's Mr. Hunnam's presence that lights up the screen here. He has a tendency to do this in everything he's in and I rented this purely to see him. I'm sure I won't be the last person to do so. He is mesmerizing.
It's a real shame his character (Embry, the missing boyfriend) couldn't be the main focus of this one (and that he wasn't discussed more on the commentary track or interviewed longer on the Making Of featurette). It would have been a more compelling film and I would have given it another star or two, I'm sure. It's definitely worth renting though to see him, if that's what you're after.
It's a good film overall though I think perhaps skipping any sort of explanation of why the villain was the villain might have served it better, as the one given was a bit lame (or "undeveloped", as reviewers say). I don't find Katie Holmes or Benjamin Bratt compelling enough to rent or buy a movie just to see either of them, but I wouldn't say they are bad actors either. The supporting cast is solidly quirky with Zooey Deschanel as a bit of a scene stealer, as usual. Any flaws are down to the screenwriter really.
That said, I didn't fast forward just to get to Charlie Hunnam's scenes. I think in this case, considering he was my only motivation for watching in the first place, that's actually a positive review. Enjoy.
Summary of AbandonYou can admire Abandon more for what it attempts, as opposed to what it actually achieves. Making his directorial debut after winning an Oscar? for scripting Traffic, screenwriter Stephen Gaghan emphasizes character dynamics and time-shifting structure over action and plotting, and the results are intelligent but oddly detached. As a recovering alcoholic detective (Benjamin Bratt) is assigned to reopen the two-year-old disappearance of an arrogant college student, we're drawn into the thoughts and emotions of the missing person's former girlfriend (Katie Holmes), whose behavior--especially when her volatile ex-boyfriend suddenly reappears--is key to the slowly unfolding mystery. Abandon is all about mood and atmosphere--shadowy gloom is dominant throughout--and viewers may grow impatient as the tissue-thin plot leads to an anticlimactic revelation. Still, Gaghan's sharp dialogue draws fine work from Holmes, and his supporting cast (especially Zooey Deschanel and Melanie Lynskey, as fellow students) adds much-needed energy on the fringes of this lugubrious psychological thriller. --Jeff Shannon
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