nan | 楠木

Derailed stars Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston and Vincent Cassel. It’s a routine thriller with a standard twist at about two thirds of the film. The twist, while well-executed (at least I wasn’t expecting it), does lead the film to go on a final act that is somewhat disappointing compared to the setup in the prior parts of the film.

If anything, the story has a simple moral – don’t get into extra-marital affairs. Unfortunately that’s exactly what Owen and Aniston do. Charles Schine (Owen) and Lucinda Harris (Aniston) are two executives who met on the morning train into Chicago. On the surface, both appear to have happy families, but something seems to be missing. Which is why they start seeing each other.

One thing led to another, and before we know it, one rainy night they find themselves in a rundown hotel room. But before adultery is really committed, a mugger (Vincent Cassel) breaks in. He not only robs them but also ends up raping Lucinda.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of the nightmare. Charles finds himself stalked by the mugger, who viciously preys on him and blackmails him. Charles knows he should call the cops, but that means opening a can of worms for Lucinda, who’s desperate to keep her marriage. Hence the blackmailing continues, until Charles has coughed up every dime, including money that he has been saving for her daughter’s diabetes treatment.

Then comes the twist. Which is fairly standard in retrospect, but it did hook me. The twist also sets the floor for Charles’ revenge, which makes up the final act.

Clive Owen has recently become one of my favorite actors, mainly thanks to the excellent Children of Men. In this film his acting and his character aren’t as impressive, but it’s still a likable performance. As for Aniston, she still reminds me of Rachel in just about every scene, but I guess I should be more forgiving, since few people can outgrow the character they’ll always be remembered by (just think of Sean Connery and Roger Moore).

7/10