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Movies / On DVD / Abandon
Abandon

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Abandon (2002)

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Reviews Counted:108

Fresh:18

Rotten:90

Average Rating:4.3/10

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

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Reviews for Abandon

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
N/R

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 29 2009 03:16 AM

Cinema Crazed

splat
1/4

Michael Dequina

A flimsy and tedious thriller.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 02 2009 10:55 PM

TheMovieReport.com

splat
2/5

Mark Halverson

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 07 2008 03:16 AM

Sacramento News & Review

splat
1.5/4

David Nusair

The film's final twist is admittedly quite effective, though it doesn't even remotely justify the interminable build-up leading into it.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 04 2007 03:17 AM

Reel Film Reviews

splat
2/4

Judith Egerton

Might have been titled Fatal Attraction -- The College Years.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 23 2004 10:10 AM

Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

splat
C+

Dennis Schwartz

Lacked an emotionally endearing story.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 21 2004 05:45 PM

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

tomato
3/4

Greg Maki

The twist ending ... becomes discernible around the midway point, but Gaghan makes up for it ...

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 06 2004 05:39 PM

Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

splat
2/5

Pablo Villaca

O ritmo lento e o final previsível (e absurdo) comprometem o filme irremediavelmente.

comment Comment | Nov., 16 2003 07:57 PM

Cinema em Cena

tomato
3/4

Nick Rogers

In the end, the film is less the cheap thriller you’d expect than it is a fairly revealing study of its two main characters — damaged-goods people whose orbits will inevitably and dangerously collide.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 27 2003 12:12 AM

State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)

tomato
3.5/4

Bill Chambers

Abandon is a damn good movie.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 27 2003 01:19 AM

Film Freak Central

splat
C

Forrest Hartman

Nothing is more frustrating than a movie that banks on a twist ending that it telegraphs 30 minutes before climax.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 21 2003 10:48 PM

Reno Gazette-Journal

tomato
4/5

John R. McEwen

For what I suppose must be classified as a 'teen thriller,' this film has a surprising amount of substance.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 08 2003 08:17 AM

Film Quips Online

splat

Scott Von Doviak

Meandering and glacially paced, and often just plain dull.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 08 2003 01:00 PM

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

splat
2/4

Jeremy Heilman

[Its] failure becomes most obvious in retrospect, when the realization dawns that the most affecting, inventive, and honest moments of the film were those that hewed most closely to the original text.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 18 2002 08:56 PM

MovieMartyr.com

splat
1/5

Garth Franklin

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 02 2002 08:17 AM

Dark Horizons

splat
2/5

Matt Easterbrook

Don't bother seeing Abandon. Within half an hour of sitting down, you'll want to perpetrate the nominal act on the theatre itself.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 24 2002 08:59 AM

Matt's Movie Reviews

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 18 2002 08:19 AM

Boston Phoenix

tomato
3/4

Jonathan R. Perry

Easily the most manipulative thriller since Brian De Palma retired to a career of spectacular irrelevance. That’s why it’s so effective — and fiendishly satisfying.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 28 2002 04:19 PM

Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

splat

Cynthia Fuchs

More often than not, the film lapses into basic thriller tricks.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 27 2002 08:16 AM

Nitrate Online

splat
1.5/5

Steve Davis

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 27 2002 08:16 AM

Austin Chronicle

 
 
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