Untraceable (2008)

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

One of Lane's " typical detective movie. Although director wanted for viewer to be involved in solving the misteries, it have done a little bit too much so you will look at the movie without being so much tense as it could have been. Main acters have done great job in converting script into movie.

Untraceable (2008): Dir: Gregory Hoblit / Cast: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross, Mary Beth Hurt: Fascinating thriller referencing advance technology in society. A web site is posted where viewers become an accomplice to murder just by visiting the site. The murderer rigs up devices that torture the victims triggered by those viewing. Difficult to watch and repetitious but the third act is worthwhile. Director Gregory Hoblit is creative but the killer's identity is revealed too soon. Hoblit has directed similar films such as Primal Fear, Fallen and Frequency but the subjects and fantasy elements are different. What might have worked better is less graphic violence and a concentration on suspense and theme. Diane Lane holds strong as a police investigator out to solve this brutal crime although she will also become a target. Billy Burke as a detective seems too much like a romantic fling to Lane than anything else. Colin Hanks plays the standard computer geek who will also fall victim to a gruesome death. Joseph Cross plays the killer but his identity is given away early, which is one of the film's weaknesses. On the positive side we are given details as to why he went after the victims that he did, which broadens the role. Mary Beth Hurt plays Lane's mother but the role is flat. Good idea about how technology and particularly the Internet can be used as a product of harmful means. Score: 6 ½ / 10

FBI agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) is working cyber-crime with fellow agent Griffin Dowd (Colin Hanks). A tip comes in about a website livestreaming killing a kitten. It's an untraceable website that can't be shut down that is surprisingly originating from a local unknown place. Then the killer starts putting people in his torture chamber enlisting viewers who visit the site to help kill. Portland police detective Eric Box (Billy Burke) is investigating the case.The setup is pretty good for the usual serial killer fare. The movie lacks tension and excitement. The killer reveal is too early rendering much of the investigation uninteresting. Diane Lane does a strong job as a federal agent and a single mom. The ending is a bit disappointing as it winds down an interesting serial killer.

Diane Lane and a strong supporting cast make up for a "been there-done that" crime drama. The story contains a few original twists as well as a few serious implausibilities. Nevertheless, the direction, pace, and performances, especially Lane's and Bill Burke's, draw you in and by the abrupt conclusion, you are on the edge of your chair. Burke and Lane, as rival investigators, develop an interesting chemistry that builds through the film and is never compromised. Joseph Cross gives a creepy, effective performance as the deranged techno-killer. The fact that the story gives him such amazing capability to the point that you occasionally start rolling your eyes should in no way deter from his acting.All in all, nicely packaged if somewhat contrived; The story hinges on the fact that this "wunderkind" killer can continually crack every computer in his way, stay one step ahead of the law, and continue to capture victims for his morbid shows without skipping a beat. All that IS hard to believe, yet "Untraceable" was still satisfying entertainment.