Abandon

Starring: Katie Holmes, Benjamin Bratt, Fred Ward, Will McCormack, Gabrielle Union
Directed by: Steven Gaghan
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Thriller
Box Office: $10,727,683
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary:Two years after her boyfriend (Will McCormack) mysteriously disappears, a college student (Katie Holmes) begins seeing him, thinking he has returned. The police are interested in discovering exactly where he has been for two years, so they assign a detective (Benjamin Bratt) to uncover the truth. The detective and the college student grow close, as they soon discover there is more to the boy's disappearance then originally thought.

Review:

Tim: I didn't really expect too much from this film. I thought it looked creepy and intense, and figured it would be worth seeing. However, it was a smallish movie, I hadn't heard too much about it, and its stars (Katie Holmes and Benjamin Bratt) aren't exactly A-list. Also, through most the movie, Abandon feels exactly the same as a handful of other thrillers. There are the twists and turns, the spooky music, and creepy happenings, but not much we haven't seen before. Luckily, there is more to this movie than I thought.

Katie Holmes does an excellent job in the film. She is a complex character, and plays it well enough to be likeable, yet creepy enough to believe something strange is happening to her. Benjamin Bratt is decent as a recovering alcoholic detective, although Bratt and Holmes don't have quite the chemistry needed to pull off their scenes together.

Although Abandon is similar to many other thrillers, it still manages to keep you interested. As you watch, you can't help but wonder what is happening, and wait expectantly for the answers. The film teases you, throwing in enough suspense to keep it really interesting.

This film has one of the craziest and most shocking endings I've seen in recent years. I completely was taken back by it! Throughout the film, you begin to take certain things for granted, to understand certain parameters of the film. The end shatters those boundaries, and reveals what you least expect. Abandon is worth sitting through for the sole moment when you realize nothing is what you thought it was. That is how the best thrillers end, and although this isn't the best, it isn't too bad, either.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



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