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Some Bond movies suck too
Compounding the tragedy of Clive Owen not becoming the next James Bond is his appearance in Derailed, a nasty little noir about two Chicagoans whose attempt to have an adulterous affair goes very wrong. Charles (Owen) and Lucinda (Jennifer Aniston) meet on the commuter train, where of all the men looking at her legs in black stockings and stiletto heels, she pays attention to him. Soon he's lying to his wife (Melissa George) and he and Lucinda are checking into a sleazy hotel for a fling neither seems enthusiastic about. They're interrupted by LaRoche (Vincent Cassel), who pistol-whips Charles and rapes Lucinda in front of him. The next day LaRoche demands $20,000 and later another $100,000. Charles wants to tell the police but Lucinda says her husband will divorce her and take their daughter if he finds out. So Charles pulls out the money he's been saving for his diabetic daughter's medical care. Some things don't make sense until a twist explains them but raises other questions that aren't addressed. To broaden the demographic, RZA adds comic relief and Xzibit some muscle. Swedish director Mikael Håfström, making his stateside debut,
shows a better understanding of American movies than of America. Steve Warren is a local actor and film reviewer. His reviews can also be seen weekly in the Sunday Paper. |
Derailed
Directed by: Mikael Håfström 
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