Abandon Review

Abandon (2002) (DVD)

Director: Stephen Gaghan

** 1/2 Rating

The trailor of this movie paints it as non-stop psychological thriller, however, when I saw this movie in the theater, I saw none of those things. Upon undertaking this project, I decided to revisit this movie, believing that maybe the passage of ten years could change my original viewpoint. While it still isn't a non-stop psychological thriller, this movie could be looked at as a character study of Katie Burke (Katie Holmes) with a thriller atmosphere.

Abandon begins with the introduction of Katie Burke, a young woman who is close to graduating from a prestigious school and joining a top New York firm. At the same time, Wade Handler (Benjamin Bratt) is investigating the disappearance of Katie's boyfriend, Embry Larkin (Charlie Hunnam), who disappeared two years before. As Handler probes further into his disappearance, Larkin begins to appear everywhere Katie goes. Is Embry still alive or does Katie have a dark secret?

My favorite performance would have to be from Katie Holmes. This was the first time she carried a film all on her own and the way she conveyed emotions made Katie Burke a very interesting character. It almost seems like she's making a statement with this movie. Leaving behind the character Joey Potter (Dawson's Creek) and moving on to more womanly roles. The two male roles, Benjamin Bratt and Charlie Hunnam, leave much to be desired. Bratt is essentailly playing the same role he did in Law and Order, etc., while Hunnam's character is present only in flashbacks with very little to build on. The surprise of this movie would have to be the fact that Zooey Deschanel is present at all. In a movie that wasn't as thrilling as promised and a bit slow, her added comic relief was much needed.

Overall, I feel that this just an okay movie. Stephen Gaghan had a great story to work with and I found myself wishing for more from it. The ending, though cliched, was an interesting choice. Though I must confess that I figured it out halfway into the movie. If you have a free Saturday, then this is a good way to pass the time.