Derailed (2005)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Absolutely the worst movie.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Corporate incompetent even messes up having an affair, and suddenly everyone is in danger.Can a decent script ever find Jennifer Aniston? A good actress, as is Melissa George, but they're both sidelined in this story.Problem I have is this assumes the audience will root for the guy with a parasitic corporate job who's just providing for his family. No - I want to see how and why the con-artists do what they do. Much more interesting. Instead the story creates an us-and-them world, where good people live in big shiny buildings, bad people live in smelly hovels, and the hero must have his implausible way.The twist is hidden, but only in the sense that you suspected it but forgot while the story meandered on for half an hour. The run time is probably ten minutes too long, and the story really does grope for direction after the excellent opening sequences.Really good dialogue, all the actors sparking, but then too much emphasis on the hero. And on and on ... until, "I've made a horrible mistake" - why not throw that line in at the end of the first act, instead of waiting for 80 mins? That way the other characters could have pitched in to the story, instead of having brief wrap-up scenes in the end.

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

Just writing this to add weight to the fact that this film is seriously underrated. As a couple that watch friends on a daily basis, we were eager to see a serious film with Jennifer Aniston in it. I can honestly say that I never once thought of her as Rachel, Her performance was very surprising for us and was excellent, as were all the rest of the cast, Vincent Cassel plays a Major part in setting the mood of the film, his performance is superb. The plot is great, some people said they knew what was going to happen but we didn't and we watch a lot of films of all types. I would highly recommend that you ignore the low score and give this film a chance, i'm sure you will find it as entertaining and powerful as we did.

Derailed is directed by Mikael Håfström and adapted to screenplay by Stuart Beattie from James Siegel's novel. It stars Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassell, Melissa George and RZA. Music is scored by Ed Shearmur and cinematography by Peter Biziou.Charles (Owen) and Lucinda (Aniston) meet on a commuter train and in spite of the fact they are married, start flirting. Ending up in a hotel one night, they're beaten and robbed by LaRoche (Cassell) who promptly starts blackmailing Charles......There's a decent thriller in the mix here, if only it had had a director able to hide the surprises and a writer capable of not making his male protagonist such an unlikable git! It's a shame because the premise is a good one, and there are good performances from an agreeable cast. Film essentially asks us to root for Charles as he battles with a reoccurring villain of some nastiness (Cassell genuinely unnerving), yet not only is he a love cheat (a lovely wife at home and a very sick daughter), he also makes ridiculous errors of judgement. While the holes in logic for some sequences are bafflingly poor. Still, it does have thrills and it doesn't soft soap the violence. Taken on popcorn thriller terms, it's above average and worth a watch, but it's not half as clever as it thinks it is. 6/10