Untraceable (Blu-ray Disc, 2008)

Untraceable has a cracking idea. With billions of people using the internet, a killer using those who log into his site to help kill his victims is an original premise. I don't know how believable some of the computer ideas and uses in the movie actually are, but to me at least the use of technology, be it mobile phones or computers, was very convincingly done.

Diane Lane is somewhat under-rated I think as an actress. Here she gives a very good performance as Agent Marsh. In fact all the performances are pretty good. In a way we have something different here. The characters, especially the FBI/police characters are believable on the whole. Even the killer isn't a completely over the top character. And unlike a lot of thrillers, they resist the temptation to through in a romantic sub-plot. Instead they allow an attraction between Marsh and the detective she is working with without letting it slow-down the story.

The writers deserve credit for resisting cliché. Instead of simply random victims, there is actual reasoning behind the killers targets. However towards the end there are a couple of typical Hollywood moments including a heroine in jeopardy. Despite this the movie is well written.

The death scenes are quite graphic, but in a way it makes sense within the context of the movie. With the idea that those logging into the site are causing the deaths of the the victims, you can't have something quick, like a gun for instance. The victims being slowly tortured to death as the hits on the site increase, while graphic and possibly a little sadistic is probably the only way you can make it work in a movie like this.

Gregory Hoblit does a decent job directing the movie. He keeps a good level of tension through-out the movie building to a tense climax.

It is a crime thriller that for the most part succeeds. It kept me gripped and entertained throughout.

Within the FBI there exists a divisiondedicated to investigating and prosecuting crimals on thr internet. Welcome to the front lines of the war on cybercrime, where special agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) and Griffin Dowd (Colin Hanks) have seen it all...until know. A tech-savvy internet predator is displaying his graphic murders on his own website and the fate of each of his tormented captives is left in the hands of the public: the more hits his site gets, the faster his victims die. When the game of cat and mouse becomes personal, Marsh and her team must race against the clock to track down the techinal mastermind who is virtually untraceable. This will keep you on the edge of you chair. An excellent movie.

This movie really caught me off guard, as my wife picked it up blindly without either of us knowing much about it. I love the music in this movie and the choice for color palate is beautiful, with a sort of dark and grim look to it, it gives off an erie feel when watching. The audio quality is great with crystal clarity and as I said before, great music. The plot is well written imo and kept me on my toes, though I have an affinity for this genre which makes me score it higher than most in this regard (kind of like some people have a love for B horror movies, I guess). We've already watched it three times even though these types of movies thrive on you not knowing how the plot unfolds, I just find the picture quality and color choices along with the great sound and music very appealing. As a forum poster myself, I also got a kick out of reading all the real time chat msg's in the movie, b/c in this regard, they nailed it. Some people horrified in their responses, some cold and cruel, even egging on the killer and suggesting things to do and people to kill. I especially loved the ending comments, which were quite funny to me. If you're like me in the aspect of really enjoying this genre, don't hesitate to buy.

Here's a new crime: kidnap someone, and broadcast that person's killing online; his/her fate is based on the number of visitors the site has. Diane Lane is an FBI agent who tries desperately to catch this vicious killer... Soon it'll become personal.

No great acting here. Diane Lane and Colin Hanks are, unlike the rest of the cast, a notch above in their performances.
Not too predictable, but something was missing all through the movie.

Not a bad viewing though. The worst scenes are when the method of killing the victims is shown, and it's different every time, so that's at least interesting.

It's a great movie and the fact it's in blu-ray makes it even better.. I saw this movie first at the movies and liked it so much i bought it. I'd recommend this to those that are into suspense and action but at the same time have a strong enough stomach to deal with some of the scenes that are brutal and inhumane. Great movie though...