Pic's structure and last-minute disclosures entirely betray any personal investment the viewer has made in this low-key yarn, which will cause audiences to feel ambushed and sullied at fadeout.
Abandon (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:5
Fresh:0
Rotten:5
Average Rating:3.9/10
Consensus: The plotline for Abandon is too disjointed and muddled to offer much in the way of thrills.
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Oscar-winning screenwriter Stephen Gaghan (TRAFFIC) makes his directorial debut with ABANDON, a dense, moody psychological thriller. Loosely based on the book ADAM'S FALL by Sean Desmond, ABANDON... Oscar-winning screenwriter Stephen Gaghan (TRAFFIC) makes his directorial debut with ABANDON, a dense, moody psychological thriller. Loosely based on the book ADAM'S FALL by Sean Desmond, ABANDON tells the troubled story of Katie (Katie Holmes), a college senior who's having a tough time keeping herself focused. She is still struggling with memories of her boyfriend Embry (Charlie Hunnam), who disappeared two years earlier. Her past comes back to haunt her when recovering alcoholic detective Wade Handler (Benjamin Bratt) is assigned to Embry's case. As Katie struggles to finish her thesis and secure a job with a prestigious firm in the city, she must contend with the reappearance of Embry, who seems intent on destroying her life. Gaghan's stylish picture, shot by acclaimed cinematographer Matthew Libatique, owes an obvious debt to classic thrillers from the 1970s (he even goes so far as to have Holmes sing a rendition of the theme to ROSEMARY'S BABY, ala Roman Polanski and his starlet, Mia Farrow). Zooey Deschanel (MUMFORD, THE GOOD GIRL) delivers yet another scene-stealing performance as Katie's snide, sarcastic friend. The film dwells in the murky territory between realistic college drama and abstract psychological thriller, making it an unsettling and suspenseful experience. [More]
Starring: Katie Holmes, Charlie Hunnam, Benjamin Bratt, Zooey Deschanel
Starring: Katie Holmes, Charlie Hunnam, Benjamin Bratt, Zooey Deschanel, Melanie Lynskey, Gabriel Mann, Gabrielle Union, Fred Ward, Will McCormack
Director: Stephen Gaghan, Edward Zwick
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Screenwriter: Stephen Gaghan
Director: Edward Zwick
Producer: Lynda Obst, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum
Composer: Clint Mansell
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for Abandon
The movie finally did not satisfy me, and so I cannot recommend it, but there is a lot to praise, beginning with Katie Holmes' performance.
A highly schizophrenic movie that clearly wants to explore the lives of university students under stress their senior year but is forced to do so within a thriller format that requires spooky moments and malevolent ghosts.
There's so little going on in the film that its title seems to suggest an action that audiences may be driven to take before the movie ends.
A trite psychological thriller designed to keep the audience guessing and guessing -- which is not to be confused with suspecting -- until it comes time to wrap things up and send the viewers home.
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