DNfromMN - Movie Review - Untraceable

Release Date: 1/25/08

There’s a great quote in this movie that I can’t quite capture completely. And it makes me think it was the only thing remaining from the original script. It’s a comment about our desire to see something horrible happen to people, people we don’t even know. This is a movie about the consequences of voyeurism, yet it’s as voyeuristic as any SAW or HOSTEL movie. So was the script punched up in notes that there wasn’t enough blood? I don’t know. Honestly, as a January-released horror movie, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear it was sitting on the shelf for a few years. (Can you tell yet that I’m not totally thrilled with this movie?)

The movie in a paragraph: Diane Lane and Colin Hanks are cyber-crimes FBI agents tipped on the website killwithme.com. It starts out with kitten murder, and then graduates to people. The more people watch online, the faster someone dies. Diane’s character is determined to stop this.

UNTRACEABLE is directed by Gregory Hoblit, who has directed some great popcorn movies: FREQUENCY with Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel, and FALLEN with Denzel Washington. So my low expectations were raised a little, at the very least I’d be entertained. I would say that I was mildly entertained, but also frustrated. It’s such a great story idea, and the intention of the screenwriters was clear. It just couldn’t decide if it wanted to make us self-reflect, or to enjoy a thriller. Something of note: for a thriller, it wasn’t particularly tense – I never had that feeling of urge to scream “Don’t go into that house!”.

In an early scene, Diane gets stuck in a traffic jam due to accident gawker slowdown (thank you OnStar product placement). We’re predisposed to doing something when we’re told we can’t or shouldn’t, right? So what’s that say? The movie shouldn’t reward that behavior, but it does. There are some very gruesome deaths in this movie, particularly skin related (a giant blistery sunburn, vat of acid, etc.). I think by showing it, it negates any message this movie might have had. It encourages the SAW-goers, and the HOSTEL-goers to see it. That’s what was so frustrating with this movie; they went for the commercial aspects instead of the message. I wonder if that’s why Diane Lane slept through her performance (she’s not bad, just not particularly passionate).

Honestly, this movie comes out at an interesting time in our culture. As we watch Britney, Lindsay, Brad Renfro and Heath melt down; as TMZ’s photographers get their cameras in as close as they can to show Heath’s body being transported to the M.E.’s slab: What is our part in their misery? Are we accelerating the self-destruct sequence? Are we encouraging the paparazzi to go in for the kill shot with our demand for more detailed photos?

The quote I mentioned in my opening referenced the Daniel Pearl beheading video. I remembered making the decision to watch it; it took me a few days before I did. And I stopped it immediately after starting it, maybe 2-3 seconds into it. I couldn’t do it. I wanted to know what happened to this man, I wanted to try and understand it, to learn from it, but I knew that by watching it, I was giving it an audience.

Sorry to get all serious, I know it’s a gossip site, but we have to acknowledge how our participation in celebrity lives changes them. That’s one of the reasons why I like this site better than most others. As snarky as Ent or any of us gets, there are always supportive comments that show up. When Ent writes anonymous letters to celebrities or their families offering to help or an intervention, I know that beneath the sarcasm there’s hope and heart.

So what is UNTRACEABLE worth? It’s entertaining in that it’s a good story mostly well told, so that’s worth seeing. If I’d seen it in the second run theater or on DVD, I wouldn’t be upset with my $4.00 being spent. If I’d paid full price and popcorn, I’d be frustrated that it half-assed two movies. It couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a message movie addressing our voyeuristic natures, or the slasher movie that lets us get out our emotions. So it’s worth $4.00 to me. To help me rethink my behaviors, I thank the filmmakers, but will it make me change my behaviors… probably not – I’m too addicted to gossip porn.