Cast: Katie Holmes, Benjamin Bratt, Charlie Hunnam, Zooey Deschanel, Melanie Lynsky
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Producers: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Lynda Obst, Edward Zwick
Screenplay: Stephen Gaghan
Cinematography: Matthew Libatique
Music: Clint Mansell
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Abandon is a melodrama masquerading as a thriller. Or perhaps it's the other way around. Either way, this movie comes across as exceedingly dumb, even when you consider that a lot of the rank stupidity is designed to facilitate the "surprise" twist (ho-hum) that is telegraphed midway through the excruciatingly long 90-minute running time. With the flat characters and lifeless performances, it's a wonder that anyone in the audience can stay awake all the way through this dull and dreary production.
Katie Burke (Katie Holmes) is bringing to a close a highly satisfactory run at a prestigious college. As she approaches graduation, she already has a bright future ahead of her – including a coveted job lined up at a top New York firm. But the past that has come back to haunt her. A police detective, Wade Handler (Bejamin Bratt), is investigating the disappearance of Embry Langan (Charlie Hunnam), Katie's wealthy and eccentric ex-boyfriend. No one has seen or heard from Embry for two years, and the lawyers for his estate want to establish whether he's alive or dead. No sooner has Wade begun stirring the cold ashes of Katie and Embry's relationship than she catches glimpses of someone she believes may be Embry. But, if he has come back, is it for love, manipulation, or revenge?
Abandon moves at a glacial pace which is not justified by the poor character development. Throughout the film, Katie and Wade remain cardboard-thin, unrealistic types: the intense student who's not nearly as "together" as she seems to be and the alcoholic cop trying to put his life back together. There isn't one moment when either Katie or Wade comes across as anything more than a writer's creation – individuals who act the way they do because their behavior is determined by a script. The love affair that develops between them typifies this. It's poorly motivated, and the actors, Holmes and Bratt, show no evidence of chemistry. I didn't for a moment believe that these two would have a friendship, let alone a sexual liaison. More heat could be generated by trying to ignite a pile of damp leaves.
The one actor to bring a spark of life to the production is Zooey Deschanel, who plays Katie's earthy best friend. Deschanel, who has had supporting roles in a number of films (Almost Famous, The Good Girl), shines. The film ceases to be boring when she comes on screen, then lapses back into its comatose state when she departs. It didn't take long before I was bemoaning the fact that Abandon wasn't about her character. That might have been a movie worth watching.
This is the directorial debut of Stephen Gaghan, a screenwriter with a few credits to his name (including Traffic). It's not an auspicious start. Gaghan is certainly adept at crafting a gray, gothic atmosphere, but it's as shallow and hollow as his characters. Abandon's success seems inextricably tied to the surprise ending. Unfortunately, sloppy filmmaking reveals the twist too early – I was able to predict how the movie would end more than 30 minutes before the moment of the "big revelation." Anyone paying careful attention will likely be in the same position, making the ending the best part of the film not because of what it reveals, but because it means that Abandon is finally over.
© 2002 James Berardinelli