It was half way through this movie that I realized I had a knot the size of Texas in my stomach and that I was in fact sitting in a theatre watching a truly suspenseful story unfold and not actually experiencing it first hand! Derailed sucks you right in and doesn’t let go until the very end, twisting and turning and making you second guess yourself at every turn. Charles (Clive Owen, Closer, who is able to pull off sex appeal and your average Joe Shmoe at the same time beautifully) is an average hard working commuter in Chicago when he comes in contact with Lucinda ( Jennifer Aniston, The Good Girl, proving once again she has more talent up her sleeve than just another romantic comedy ala Friends) on a commuter train when he realizes he has not purchased a train ticket and has no cash, she casually offers to pay it for him. Charles is immediately drawn to Lucinda as she is to him, however they are both married, derailment number one, and they decided to get a hotel room together, derailment number two, and before their lustful ways can be satisfied Charles is robbed and Lucinda is raped by a man named LaRoche (Vincent Cassel, Ocean’s Twelve who comes across a bit over the top, his fault or the directors I’m not sure). LaRoche blackmails Charles by threatening Lucinda and his family, derailment number three, which leads this story on an incredible track of twists and turns that continually screws with your mind. Derailed is a very well written movie but I feel that something was still missing, the editing could have been tweaked a little and some of the acting felt a little unnatural, again I feel like perhaps the director dropped the ball a few times throughout the story. It offers much dialogue for the visually impaired, with only a few things needing to actually be seen on the screen. But overall Derailed is an intense movie that will get your heart pounding and mind racing!
