A Brilliant Conflict

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

How exciting! Jennifer Aniston in a thriller—and it's not a Leprechaun sequel! This movie got quite a bit of hype, and rightfully so. It's actually really good, so get out there and rent it this weekend!A good-looking man meets a good-looking woman on a train. The trouble is, they're both married. But, the attraction is so powerful, they can't resist it. No sooner do they check into a motel together does the door get bashed in—and a despicable criminal enters their lives.This thriller is full of twists and turns, and it's amazing that Jennifer Aniston ever took a comic role after her wonderful performance. Seriously, go rent it on your next spooky girls' weekend. If you have any hesitation, here's a funny quote from Jennifer Aniston during the 2009 Crystal and Lucy Awards: "There seems to be a strange parallel between the movies I'm doing and my life off-screen. It started with 'The Good Girl,' then of course 'Rumor Has It,' followed by 'Derailed.' Then there was 'The Break Up.' "If any of you have a project entitled 'Everlasting Love With A Stable Adult Male' I'm at table 6 and my agents are at table 12."Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, there may or may not be a rape scene, so I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

The box hails this as a Hitchcockian thriller but it's a far cry from the films of the late master. Instead, DERAILED is a half-average modern-day thriller, with a few genuinely decent twists to recommend it and a strong central performer in Clive Owen. Unfortunately it suffers from a never-ending stream of plot holes and irregularities, as well as a tacked-on Hollywood-style ending that pushes the viewer's patience a little bit too far.On the plus side, it's a well-paced film that never outstays its welcome, and it pushes the boundaries of violence into uncomfortable, sometimes startling territory. But where this film fails in comparison to something like UNFAITHFUL is the script; the characters are threadbare, and refuse to be fleshed out, and it's hard to find any sympathy for those involved. Of them all, Melissa George is perhaps the most sympathetic character – after all she wasn't responsible for anything that happened. Sadly George's character is barely seen and a latter-day confrontation with her philandering husband lacks impact as a result.Owen plays a weak and weedy character and he does a grand job – he's far more at home here than in something like KING ARTHUR. Jennifer Aniston, bless her, can't act for toffee and keeps the same devoid-of-expression face throughout the film. Vincent Cassel, typecast now as a sleazy villain, gives value for money as his criminal rapist is somebody you really love to hate. Lower down the cast, Tom Conti uncomfortably mixes with some rappers-turned-movie stars; of the two, Xzibit is halfway decent while RZA needs to go to drama school.The film strives to build suspense but it only occasionally works. The twists, when they come, are genuinely decent and of the SIXTH SENSE variety; you won't believe what you're seeing. Unfortunately things degenerate into another typical shoot-out whereas I am sure the screenwriter could have come up with a more original way to end the story. As a result, DERAILED is a nice effort to do something a bit different, but the plot holes just drag it down too much.

Chicago advertising executive Clive Owen (as Charles "Charlie" Schine) says good-bye to his beautiful, but busy schoolteacher wife and helps his diabetic daughter with her book report. "The author intrigues the reader by twisting the narrative," he explains, "so you never know what's coming next." On his way to work, Mr. Owen meets attractive financial adviser Jennifer Aniston (as Lucinda Harris), after checking out her sexy legs. Owen asks Ms. Aniston to lunch and the two contemplate copulation. In a trashy motel, their naughty foreplay is interrupted by nasty Vincent Cassel (as LaRoche)..."Derailed" is a nicely produced thriller, playing on the guilt associated with thoughts of infidelity. Director Mikael Hafstrom really keeps it moving. His seedy hotel and Chicago street sequences are a highlight. Even if you figure out what's going on, the story is engaging. Still, you've got to wonder why Owen seems willing to put his daughter's life in danger for a non-affair; most parents would go to the police, if their child was threatened with death. An expiration in prison is superfluous, also. More scenes involving suspicious detective Giancarlo Esposito (as Church) would have been welcome.****** Derailed (11/11/05) Mikael Hafstrom ~ Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassel, Giancarlo Esposito

5/10 Good story line but not something you will rave about to your friends the next day.The story had a lot of potential but the slow start and really weak and unrealistic ending really brought the movie down. The ending was so ill thought out it was comical.The affair couple have the same expression on their face the entire movie; dull personality and dull expressions.It's a decent movie to have a quiet night at home and relax to with a glass of wine with a loved one. Chances of the male falling asleep are about 65%. I struggled to keep my man awake for the first half of the movie.To sum it up; if its free and there is nothing else on give it a go, if you miss it you aren't missing out on much.