The agony of Untraceable is as predictable as a computer program, and about as inhuman.
Untraceable (2008)
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Reviews Counted:139
Fresh:20
Rotten:119
Average Rating:4.2/10
Consensus: Despite Diane Lane's earnest effort, Untraceable manages to be nothing more than a run-of-the-mill thriller with a hypocritical message.
Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for some prolonged sequences of strong gruesome violence, and language.
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:29-02-2008
Synopsis: Directed by Gregory Hoblit (FRACTURE, PRIMAL FEAR), UNTRACEABLE follows F.B.I. cybercrimes specialist Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) as she attempts to track down a serial killer who brazenly displays... Directed by Gregory Hoblit (FRACTURE, PRIMAL FEAR), UNTRACEABLE follows F.B.I. cybercrimes specialist Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) as she attempts to track down a serial killer who brazenly displays his murderous deeds on the Internet. Aided by fellow agent Griffin Dowd (Colin Hanks) and local detective Eric Box (Billy Burke), Marsh tenaciously hunts for the elusive criminal in rainy Pacific Northwest settings, but as she closes in on her target, he deviously finds ways to get closer to her, all the while killing his victims in increasingly faster fashion. Clearly referencing a number of renowned thrillers--most notably the SAW films, SEVEN, and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS--UNTRACEABLE is far from an original cinematic exercise. However, Lane's steely, smart, and beautiful heroine ably anchors the film, which also benefits from its appropriately gloomy Portland, Oregon, backdrop. As with any effective suspense movie, the thrill is in the chase, with the cold-blooded killer proving to be quite adept at disguising his real location, even as his disturbingly popular site remains prominently on the web (hence the picture's title). Though not up to par with classics such as SEVEN and SILENCE, UNTRACEABLE is a well-crafted genre film that easily eclipses other like-minded fare, particularly FEARDOTCOM and the SAW sequels. [More]
Starring: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross
Starring: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross, Mary Beth Hurt
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Screenwriter: Robert Fyvolent, Mark R. Brinker
Story: Robert Fyvolent, Mark R. Brinker, Allison Burnett
Producer: Steven Pearl, Andy Cohen, Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Hawk Koch
Composer: Christopher Young
Studio: Screen Gems
Reviews for Untraceable
Untraceable mostly delivers the chills, despite its conventionalities.
This serial killer mystery has a good cast and a reasonable story and it could have been solid, but the plot thickens via acts of such abject stupidity that the movie is eventually ruined.
The film delivers a tight cat-and-mouse thriller sullied by or seasoned with (depending on one's taste for such things) elaborate acts of torture.
The film teases and unnerves for 100 minutes with scenes of cold brutality. Then in a rush to the end, it tries to make it all better, or at least make it more complicated.
This well-made thriller's ending almost makes up for what goes before.
Hoblit and veteran cinematographer Anastas Michos try to darken the proceedings by giving us nocturnal characters and Portland at its grayest. But it's window dressing, just like the layers of computer geek-speak that can't disguise an analog-age plot.
Untraceable lambastes us for being amoral voyeurs as it panders to our baser instincts at the same time.
An abhorrent cyberthriller starring a compelling Diane Lane, the film exploits the inhumanity of torture as it cynically condemns Internet rubberneckers (and by extension, moviegoers) for watching it online.
Untraceable is a horrifying thriller, smart and tightly told, and merciless.
That's right, Hollywood has finally made a film centered on agony that even a grandmother could love.
Even director Gregory Hoblit couldn't transform Untraceable from a mediocre horror movie into a compelling thriller.
In a genre that's already died a thousand mediocre movie deaths, Untraceable is not the last stab into its heart of darkness. Instead, it's the cinematic equivalent of a blueprint...
The original working title of this flick was Streaming Evil, which has precisely the right amount of built-in schlock for the tedious bit of horror exploitation this is.
'Untraceable' is a thriller about computers that was probably written by one.
More concerned about coming up with graphic death scenes than anything else.
While certain aspects are comparable to great suspense films like Seven and The Vanishing, the underlying ethical lessons in the film pluck the thrill out of the thriller. What's left is a preachy and predictable paradox.
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