Sin rastro

Caught this on cable last night and I liked it. I thought Katie Holmes did extremely well with a very tricky role, and I thought there were a lot of well written exchanges between the characters, excellent atmospheric touches, and enough psychological ambiguity to allow me to figure out what was really going on before the ending, but this didn't make the film predictable - it made it clever. And the title is a good one - extremely telling, a clue in itself. Of course, it's not a perfect film by any stretch; there's too much stuff that really doesn't need to be in the movie but I still give it a 6 (my IMDb equivalent of *** - a decent premise, decently executed).

When I first saw previews for this movie, I was a little weary, but when I saw that it was out to rent I thought that it looked interesting (and if I didn't like it, I could always make fun of it), but I actually found it fairly entertaining. The movie, since it is classified as a thriller, has scenes that make you jump, or surprise you, and it has some parts that are a bit unbelievable, but overall, I thought it was pretty good. My one complaint is that Embry (Charlie Hunnam) is so gorgeous that it's difficult to believe his character, that's not a reflection on his acting because he really does do a good job, but for me, he has a look that doesn't suit what I would have anticipated his character to look like (but he's cute)! Other than that, the movie held my attention and I actually watched it multiple times, so if that's any reflection on the movie, I'd say that I liked it! If it was down to star ratings, I'd say 3.5 or 4 stars (out of 5)!

Katie Holmes is well-cast as an intellectual college student in this intellectual thriller, a strange bird of a movie to sit alongside the current batch of "teen" horror films (did you know that in this one the students actually - gasp!- study?). Admittedly it moves at a measured pace (some would say "like molasses"), and doesn't really take off until the last 2 minutes or so (!), when it presents a final twist which I, for one, did not see coming, and which saves the entire picture. All through the film you get the feeling they have something to show you at the end, and indeed they do, but perhaps they shouldn't have waited so long to get there. Excellent score and cinematography. (**1/2)

You might find going into this film, that it borderlines being a 'B' film. Not that it's bad, it's just not very good. Katie Holmes, being what I consider a mediocre actress, should really consider sticking to what she's good at. Playing, 'Joey' on "Dawson's Creek".

For a part this size and with this dark force behind it, the casting really made an error in hiring Holmes for the lead in this piece. While beautiful, and not a bad actress, her innocence and small voice make her the wrong flavor of tea for the pot they were preparing. It was not a bad film overall, however there were times, when it tended to drag on, not make a lot of sense, and although I did enjoy the end of the film (especially the last fifteen minutes, or so), the rest of the time, it was carried a bit awkwardly. Only one part was a bit intense, while the rest of the film, was in my opinion somewhat silly. For some, it might leave you guessing, but I unfortunately figured out the gist of the end of the film, right from the beginning. And, while there is a twist at the end, it still leaves one wondering why you wait nearly an hour and a half to get to that point.

The writing was average, the lighting and set design was good for this type of film, and again the casting was off, not only with Holmes, but also with Benjamin Bratt, who played the cop investigating the disappearance of Holmes' ex-boyfriend.

If you're bored and need a good Friday night flick, and want something a little intense, and dark...you might find that this is right up your ally, however don't hold your breath with an outstanding film, because you won't find it here.

The surprise ending and the amazing supporting cast could not save this movie. For starters, the movie was promoted as a Katie Holmes thriller. The movie does have several moments of thrilling, on the edge of your seat moments with terrific direction to make the movie a good (almost horror like) movie. Still, the movie drags ans drags and drags that you don't care what happens to any of the characters or whether or not the mystery is solved. Katie Holmes tries, but fails to carry the movie. Even though with strong supporting roles from Fred Ward and Benjamin Bratt, Katie Holme's eye candy only goes so far until you begin to lose interest. The love scene between Bratt and Holmes was not only sad but not believable. The thirteen year old age difference could have had something to do with that. Also, you don't see much during the love scene accept for some close ups and the post-sex scene. The transitions between scenes do nothing to keep the audience drawn in to the film's conclusion. With that, nobody is left to see the end of the film because they have fallen asleep somewhere in the middle.