The Good

All of the actors do semi-decent work in this movie.

The Bad

This film is beyond predictable.

Derailed is one of those movies that overplays it's hand. This film, about a man and a woman who are accosted while having an affair, never had that twist ending that I was supposed to be in awe of. Charles (Clive Owen) and Lucinda (Jennifer Aniston) meet on a train and eventually try and have said affair. After the man who accosts them leaves, Charles begins having money extorted from him by this man so his wife won't find out about his extramarital tryst. Charles, who has been saving up to buy medicine for his sick daughter, begins to use that money to pay the man off. Which makes no sense because it ultimately seems like his life would be easier if he just told his wife about his infidelity. Charles can't do this because then Lucinda's life would be destroyed as her husband would leave her and take their daughter.

This movie meanders on like this until finally it reaches a conclusion that seems as tacked on as a game of pin the tail on the donkey. Derailed is a more than appropriate title for this film.

Features

Deleted Scenes

There are three deleted scenes in all. They have titles like "Amy's Sequence" and "Deanna's Affair." I truly think if they had used the "Deanna's Affair" scene and then rewritten the movie based on that, ultimately Derailed may not have gone so far off course.

Making Of

This is a pretty standard making of piece. The actors and other creative types behind this film discuss the story, how the film got made and what it was like to all work together. While I don't doubt that the people behind this film were very sincere in their intentions, ultimately I just think if it's not on the page it's not going to be on the screen. This seems to have been this movie's achilles heel.

Video

Widescreen Version presented in a "matted" widescreen format preserving the aspect ratio of it's original theatrical exhibition. Thankfully, this wasn't one of those movies that was drab looking and moved at a snails pace. That's exactly what the one-sheet for the movie led me to believe it was, and it's because of that that I didn't see this film in the theater. Overall, this movie moved at a solid (if not deliberate) pace that thankfully didn't get caught up in itself.

Audio

Dolby Digital. There were a few times when I was watching this movie that I had to rewind it back, simply because I couldn't hear what the characters were saying. I don't think this is the fault of the DVD so much as how the audio was recorded. Everyone seems to speak in a whisper in movies nowadays, and because of that it seems like sometimes pertinent information can be lost. Save for those few moments of rewinding, I didn't have that problem with Derailed.

Package

The entire cast of Derailed is featured on the front cover. All of the images have been photoshopped in such a way to give this movie a sinister look. The back features a collage of various scenes from the movie, some critics quotes, a short description of the film, a "Special Features" listing, a cast list and some technical specs.

Final Word

Why are RZA and Xzibit in this movie? It seems like the folks at The Weinstein Company were trying to make a pizza (aka a film) with ingredients that everyone would like. I can just see them now sitting around the boardroom at the new company saying, "Well, we've got Anniston... that'll take care of the Friends audience, Clive Owen will bring in the women. Now, how do we tap into the urban market?"

Derailed is a film that just feels false. Everything about it's setup, to it's characterizations, to the actors playing those characters just seems misplaced and poorly calculated.

Derailed was released November 11, 2005.