Chained (2012)

So much average

Good movie but grossly overrated

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I didn't expect much of this movie. But still can't believe that a movie that mostly plays just at one location can be that great. But it really was. A movie that entertained me from the first to the last minute. There are not many like this.

"Chained" is a thoroughly depressing and deeply unpleasant psycho killer movie that is almost redeemed, though not quite, by a brilliant performance from Vincent D'Onofrio as the serial killer who kidnaps the young son of one of his victims and keeps him prisoner until adulthood, making him an unwilling accessory in his crimes. (D'Onofrio and Eamon Farren as the boy are basically left to carry the film on their own). It's certainly well-made; there's no doubting that writer/director Jennifer Chambers Lynch has talent but you can't help feeling it could be put to better use. It's the kind of film that could develop a cult following but this is one cult I won't be joining.

Jennifer Lynch's 'Chained' is an unapologetic psychological thriller. Some have billed this as a horror film, however that's not the case. 'Chained' will take you out of your comfort zone and leave you talking about it for days. And although it will be in your 'serial killer' film collection, this particular movie has a different quality and lasting psychological effect that will haunt you the next time you decide to take a cab.'Chained' starts off with Tim, a 9 year old boy and his mother (Julia Ormond), who are dropped off at the local cinema by dad (Jake Weber). We instantly see how cool Tim's mom is by letting him see the horror film instead of the new kids movie. Once the film is over, by the instructions of dad, they are supposed to take a cab home instead of the bus. They hail a taxi driven by Bob (Vincent D'Onofrio), who seems like your typical cab driver.Soon after they get in the car, and a couple of missed turns, Tim and his mother realize that Bob is not really a cab driver, but a serial killer and that bad things are about to happen. Bob drives Tim and his mother to his remote house with no cellular signal. Bob takes Tim's mother into the house and leaves Tim in the car as Bob violently rapes and ultimately kills her. Bob is confused with what to do with this 9 year old boy, as he only kills women, and decides to keep Tim around to cook and clean. And by clean, I mean clean up the brutal and bloody murders Bob leaves in his house, starting with his own mother.After a couple of failed attempts of escape, Bob chains Tim to the house and leaves him enough lag to get around the home completely. This made me think of 'Black Snake Moan'. We fast forward a decade into the future and Tim is still chained, but is now a teenager (Eamon Farren). From here, we see Bob try and teach Tim how to be a serial killer in a sick and twisted father-son type fashion. Here we see Bob treating Tim more like an heir to throne rather than a prisoner. There is even a very creepy scene where the two play Go-Fish with a deck of victim's licenses.This film differs from the rest of the serial kille films, as it doesn't rely on showing bloody and ultra violent murders, but rather shows a steady paced storyline with intense psychological trauma. This film was originally titled 'Rabbit', due to what Bob calls Tim, but was later changed to 'Chained'. Lynch did a great job of filming the beautiful outdoor scenery of green pastures and bright yellow colored cab, and then transitioning into a dirty brown and yellow interior for a large chunk of the film. It's as if we were seeing the surroundings rotting from start to finish.D'Onofrio does an amazing job as Bob. He has come a long way from Leonard Lawrence in 'Full Metal Jacket' and Thor in 'Adventures in Babysitting'. His twisted father-son relationship with Tim is so disturbing, that I wouldn't be surprised if he won some kind of award for his role. Farren and Ormond also turn in great performances. I'm sure this was a difficult film to shoot, considering the subject matter, and they all rose to the occasion. 'Chained' is a movie you should own. It's a conversation piece that you will be showing your cinephile friends and talking about over and over again. Even with its strange twist ending, 'Chained' will linger around for days to come.

'Chained' starts out pretty good, but soon after things things get boring, with only here and there a good bit. The story of Bob and his background is rather standard and the interactions between him and his new protégé are none too impressive. Until... director Jennifer Chambers Lynch decides to take things up a few notches near the end. Too bad she couldn't leave it at that, and the film takes another turn - one too many. If she had begun that first change earlier, then the other change might have worked out as well.I'm a fan Vincent D'Onofrio in lots of other films and the series 'Criminal intent', and he wasn't bad here, but the voice he does is something he doesn't at all. Eamon Farren is no acting revelation, which leaves us with the female victims, who do their jobs sufficiently.A small 5 out of 10.