Two of the most recent films I have seen of late - There Will Be Blood and Untraceable are two I would have rather missed altogether. In both films the leading actors, Daniel Day Lewis and Diane Lane, respectively, never miss a beat in their performances. However, there are issues with both of these films that will have the average moviegoer wishing they had opted for The Bucket List instead.
It is surprising the number of nominations, awards and placement of critical acclaim on top critics lists that Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, have garnered. Daniel Day Lewis well deserves the Best Actor Oscar win for his portrayal of silver miner turned oilman Daniel Plainview during California's oil boom of the late 19th century and is not in question here. What is in question is - who is this character, what is the story here, and why did I spend six dollars to spend two hours and thirty-eight minutes watching this film?
The screenplay written by Thomas and inspired by the novel Oil written by Upton Sinclair obviously does not translate well to film. The characters as well as the story line come and go as if watching snippets from several different films. What remains a constant throughout is Lewis's intensity and focus to the character. A mighty task given the viewer never comes to understand or identify with Daniel Plainview. He is not ruthless, greedy, nor angry enough to justify a sudden murderous streak or add any sense or substance to the already haphazard plot.
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How this film came to be nominated for an academy award is a mystery to me.
Gregory Hoblit's Untraceable, starring Diane Lane and Colin Hanks is an effective thriller. The writing and editing are superior - all filmmaking elements combined make this an above average film. Diane Lane's performance as an FBI cyber cop tracking down a sadistic serial killer is convincing - Lane never fails to deliver. Hanks steps up to the plate here by sidestepping his usual antics in sophomoric comedies in his role as the serial killer who uses the internet to broadcast his murders. There is a twist to the murders. The number of viewers within his audience determines the timeliness of the death for the victims.
Untraceable is a social commentary on mass voyeurism, immunity to the suffering of others, sadism, and the ready availability of it all via the internet. Although interesting and thought provoking the film is undeniably disturbing and graphic with sadistic methods of murder.
Within the genre of horror, mindless gore on film has filled a need among a demographic that is expanding at an alarming rate and blurring the distinction between horror and thrillers. Untraceable by definition is not a horror film; however, horror abounds and is unsettling on many levels.
Despite being a huge fan of Diane Lane, I could have done without this one.
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