Abandon
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Movie Reviews of Abandon
Movie Review: A satisfyingly dark, albeit predictable, psychological thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
I tend to be rather forgiving of this kind of suspenseful thriller, even one as predictable as this one. Abandon basically tries to accomplish what a number of other recent films have already accomplished, and that growing audience familiarity with this genre deprives Abandon of some of the shock value it might otherwise have had. It may well pack a real punch to those who don't see the climax coming, and I think it plays rather well even to those who won't be surprised in the least, but some viewers will undoubtedly judge the film forgettable.
I'm not Katie Holmes' biggest fan, and I was prepared to be unimpressed after her first few scenes, but she gradually seemed to grow into her character, and in the end I was fairly impressed by her performance. The dark and mysterious atmosphere of the film was also a plus. Since the story held no ultimate surprise for me, the acting and atmosphere pretty much took on the responsibility of holding my attention. A couple of reasonably creepy scenes definitely scored this film some extra points on my scorecard.
Katie Burke (Katie Holmes) seems to be all set for success. Sure, she's having a little trouble finishing her thesis, but she's smart, meticulously organized, and a big hit at job interviews with high-paying companies. Then the past starts to catch up with her, and everything starts to unravel. A couple of years ago, she dated this incredibly pompous nonconformist (in all things, definitely including hairstyle) who thrived on showing up everyone around him in a desperate bid for attention. Ol' Embry (Charlie Hunnam) up and disappeared a few weeks before graduating, though, and he hasn't been heard from since. The guy inherited gobs of money, though, so the cops are still actively working the case. That's where Detective Wade Handler (Benjamin Bratt) comes in, as he is assigned to work the two-year-old case upon his return to active duty (following some personal problems with substance abuse). What if Embry suddenly returns? All Katie needs is a little more stress in her life. And is it her fault that men seem to keep falling in love with her?
Abandoned turned out to be a pretty good psychological thriller that succeeds in maintaining a dark and menacing atmosphere throughout. I don't think its transitions between past, present, and future are handled all that smoothly, but the pathway toward the climax is a veritable funnel of emotional intensity. It's too predictable to be great, but Abandon is more than capable of commanding your attention throughout.
Movie Review: Abandon all pre-conception and just watch it!
Summary: 4 Stars
At the time of the release I was completely infatuated with Katie Holmes so even when my friends told me this film sucked I disagreed. Now that she's gone completely cuckoo for Tom Cruise's puff's and I'm slowly starting to abhor her I decided to watch this film again and see if I was imagining it's greatness. Well the verdict is in and, despite the fact that Katie is now a freak, this film is actually quite good, no where near as bad as some reviewers make it out to be. The story follows Detective Wade Handler (Bratt) who is reopening the investigation of missing student Embry Larkin (Charlie Hunnam) that occurred two-years prior. This involves young Kate (Holmes), Embry's ex-girlfriend, current at the time of his disappearance. Almost as soon as the investigation begins Kate is visited by Embry and harassed by Embry to the point she begins to lose it, becoming paranoid. On top of that Wade is slowly falling in love with Kate while growing very suspicious of her involvement in Embry's disappearance.
The film follows a very dark and ominous tone, everything done in dark color schemes, voice's low and images grainy, and that adds to the mystery bound to be unlocked. Maybe I'm naïve but I don't agree that this is a predictable film. Granted it's not utterly mind-blowing, and you may after seeing the conclusion say "I could see that" but I for one didn't guess the ending as so many have stated would be the case. Regardless, this is a tightly woven thriller that, while not perfect, achieves a state of mystery that deserves to be uncovered. Katie Holmes does wonderfully here. She blossomed shortly after `Dawson's Creek' ended, turning out a few really decent performances (her best being `Pieces of April') and it's a shame that Cruise has taken over her mind. Poor, poor girl. She was better off with the loser from `American Pie'.
Anyways, the supporting cast includes Zooey Deschanel, Melanie Lynskey, Gabrielle Union & Gabriel Mann, all of which do a great job, never taking away but always adding to the air of the film, Zooey Deschanel especially, an actress of which I'm also very smitten and love to see work the camera.
Abandon all pre-conception and just watch it!
Movie Review: Finally,a fillm which treats it's audience like adults
Summary: 4 Stars
In Abandon , a detective investigates the missing of creative , rich boy Ebri who has dissapeared mysteriously two years ago living his ex-girlfriend alone and shattered , wondering what happened to him . In order to reach a final conclusion about the young man's destiny , he gets to know her and slowly falls for her sweet and closed-to-herself character . She is just trying to move on with her life and he is willing to help her . What makes the film stand out is the fact that it feels more like a psychological potrait of a wounded teenage heart than a typical thriller flick . Everything about it , the direction , the dialogues , the acting , the lights clearly display the effort from everyone involved to dig beneath the surface of the story and characters .
As for the cast , in the past Holmes has been in both good ( Wonder Boys ) and bad ( Teaching Mrs.Tingle ) films but this is definitely her best work yet . The melancholic , insecure Katie fits perfectly with her round face and the natural sweetness her looks send out . Bratt's sad and kind cop with a guilty past marks also a step forward for the career of the lo-fi actor .
Indeed the ending is slightly dissapointing since it's too easy for a film with such rich direction and screenplay . When you spend most of the time of a movie in order to introduce us someone and to let us get to know his / her personallity , to finally say that he /she is actually mentally-ill is a risk . Even so , Abandon is a criminally overlooked , atmospheric film which deserved much more recognition that the one it got .
Movie Review: Looking at this to see Charlie Hunnam?
Summary: 4 Stars
In 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.
Movie Review: Borderline Personality Revealed
Summary: 4 Stars
For those of you who have viewed this film and found it to lack "cohesion", I have to agree there is a disjointed element to the storyline but it portrays someone with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) to some degree of realism. I was married to a woman with BPD for 15 years. I found leaps in her logic and sometimes the voices wtihin were MUCH louder than the vioces without. If you change part of the story. Make the missing boyfriend 100% faithful and in love with her. Then you make the airplane tickets a surprise gift the night after the play, then have him telling her that he's leaving and he wants her to go with him and at the same time she has her "flashback" to her father abandoning her, she not hearing the words coming from his mouth ...then you would have 100% accuracy of the behavior of someone with BPD. I feel this DVD should be required viewing for those dealing with BPD behavior who assume such a person is suffering from some sort of "battered wife syndrome".