Derailed (2005)

Best movie ever!

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I´ve seen my share of bad bad films but this one... it´s down there. It´s specially weird since the beginning isn´t completely bad, some kind of sexy affair going on, kind of lame but easily enjoyed. Anyway, once things start to go down I really had to make an effort not to stop watching. It comes to prove Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston are a guarantee, a painfully wasted one in this case. The same goes for Vincent Cassel, actually. Irritating, infuriating, amazingly predictable and absolutely unsatisfying, it makes me wonder how little it takes to make it as a screenwriter.

Question: Do you generally like thrillers? If the answer is 'Yes' then you should appreciate this. It's nothing special, but there's just about enough to it to warrant investing an hour and a half of your time into it. Sure, you may not remember it in twenty years, but I think you'll be entertained nonetheless.For a start you have two decent leads – Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston and they always turn in pretty decent performances. They play a couple of high-flying city executives who meet by coincidence on a train and begin an affair. Let's just say things go downhill for the pair of them pretty soon after that.You may notice that I'm steering clear of mentioning too much about the plot. Basically, the reason is that the plot – although nothing absolutely amazing – is one of the film's selling points. If I told you too much about what happens, it would definitely detract from the film's enjoyment as you'd probably start guessing (correctly) what was going to happen.There's enough to it to raise it above the masses of 'straight-to-DVD' B-movies out there. Fans of the two leads will obviously enjoy it more and anyone who likes something just that little bit tense should be entertained by it.Obviously, there are a couple of moments where you may find yourself yelling at the screen, "But I wouldn't do that!" You're just going to have to accept that on-screen characters don't always do what we would. Don't let it ruin the film for you. It's better than a few nit-picked gripes with the overall plot.Nothing too special, just solid.

This is a clever thriller that could also serve as a cautionary tale – look what happens when you cheat on your wife. It is hard to say much about the story without giving the surprises away, and although we have seen variations of the plot a few times before, this movie really works – it is compulsively watchable from start to finish. However, the filmmakers couldn't let the movie finish at a natural point and gave it yet another finale. Not that it lessens the entertainment value but it does expose a few plot holes that were not as noticeable in the rest of the movie because of its pace and energy.The story is told in flashback by Charles Shine from a prison cell. Charles, played by Clive Owen, relates how he was a successful advertising executive who after saying goodbye to his wife and daughter as usual one morning heads into the city on the train. He meets Lucinda Harris played by Jennifer Aniston who is also travelling to work, and is also married with a daughter. Both seem troubled and vulnerable at this point in their lives. Charles is deeply attracted to her, and they strike up a friendship, which eventually leads to an appointment in a cheap hotel room. But things take an unexpected turn.Clive Owen is convincing in his role as the solid family man and reliable employee who seems to have a darker, riskier side to his nature – it makes believable the way he handles the crisis that his rashness has brought about. Jennifer Aniston gives a surprisingly unsympathetic performance – it is actually a brave one considering that stars are usually protective of their familiar screen image.However it is Victor Cassel who really stands out. I remembered him from "Irreversible" and "The Birthday Girl", where he was equally disturbing and unforgettable. He was also in the more recent "A Dangerous Method", and although that role was small, it was telling. The man projects danger as few stars do. It is not mindless menace but is all the more threatening because of the intelligence behind it.In "Derailed", the violence and the obvious pleasure Cassel's character, Philippe LaRoche, takes in tormenting Charles makes Clive Owens' character seem sympathetic. This despite the fact that he has not only betrayed his wife but also his diabetic daughter, eventually losing the money that has been put aside for her treatment, all triggered by his illicit affair with Lucinda – that's the power of movies to manipulate the emotions.The movie is many notches above the average thriller, and it is hard to see why it received so much negative criticism. When a movie gets you on the edge of your seat like this one does, surely it has passed the effectiveness test. Anyway word of mouth seems to have made it the success it deserves to be.

I'm surprised that over 360 people bothered to review this flick. It's interesting to watch it in 2012, seven years after it was released, to see a younger Aniston. I thought Aniston did a good job and it was refreshing to watch her in a dramatic role like this one after (actually before) she made a number of romantic comedies. Special mention goes to the actor who played Charlie's (Owen's) ex-con acquaintance from work - he gave the film character and his role had a purpose.I've long since dropped the notion that thrillers need to be completely believable. But when you look at the suspense of movies like Psycho, this one could take some tips from it. Because it drops the suspense aspect too soon, it's about a half hour too long. I got just over mid-way and watched most of the rest on fast forward when I figured what some of the characters were really up to. For all of the other kinds of adrenaline movies out there that are far from believable but quite good, the lack-lustre with this one may have been remedied by better directing and editing. I've read a few reviews calling it "taut" and that would be a misnomer.