Untraceable

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Untraceable

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Untraceable

Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Diane Lane, Joseph Cross, Mary Beth Hurt, Perla Haney-Jardine

This is the story of a technology-savvy serial killer who displays his graphic murders on his own website. The FBI Internet Crimes division must work quickly to track him down.

Id: 10846494

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Untraceable Recent Reviews
  • sanjurosamurai
    July 26, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    although the end of this thriller was far too predicatable, it did well in most other disciplines and carried the intrigue very well. a very good and fun flick for escapist drama or fans of shocking cinema.
  • PvtCaboose91
    May 6, 2009
    PvtCaboose91
    Agent Griffin Dowd: "What's he into?"

    Agent Jennifer Marsh: "High-end tech and low-end porn."

    Agent Griffin Dowd: "You sure he's a guy? If it's a women, she could be my soulmate."


    Psychological thrillers, such as Untraceable, are

    ...( read more) far more welcome these days than woeful gore porn films like Hostel or (god forbid) Saw with its never-ending flow of sequels of increasing mediocrity (as of 2008, Saw is up to its fifth entry...with six and seven already announced. I doubt even my great-grandkids will love long enough to witness the Saw series coming to a close). Untraceable fundamentally functions as a 100-minute episode of a police-procedural television crime drama. In the vein of psychological thrillers such as Se7en and Silence of the Lambs, director Gregory Hoblit has created a visceral thriller warning the use of technology against the populace.


    Special Agent Jennifer Marsh (Lane) works at the Portland, Oregon FBI Cybercrimes Division. Along with her partner Griffin (Hanks), she generally spends her working hours shutting down music pirates and paedophiles. Jennifer is soon faced with a new and infinitely more deadly adversary when she comes across a website called KillWithMe. The tech-savvy lunatic running the site offers a live video feed to horrific acts of torture. After whetting the pervosphere's appetite with a live kitten sacrifice, the webmaster moves onto human victims. The live on-air murders accelerate with each click of a visitor's mouse. The serial killer behind the site is intelligent, and has worked out a technique to ensure the website is totally untraceable as well as impervious to attempts at removing it. The rumour of its existence catches fire, and in no time it's one of the hottest Internet stopovers. Jennifer quickly becomes obsessed with apprehending this impossibly clever internet predator, in the process finding herself ensnared in the killer's deadly game.


    Untraceable is an enjoyable slick thriller: it's smart, merciless and tightly told without excessive exposition that lulls. In the 21st century the film's plot has great relevance and potency: a killer filming his victims die in elaborate ways while allowing the event to be viewed live on the internet. The more hits the site receives, the quicker and more violent a victim dies. "You know, if no-one was watching now, you'd just be sitting in water," the killer informs a victim who's neck-deep in water while a sulphuric acid drips into the tank (one drop for every internet hit the site receives). "But the whole world wants to watch you die, and they don't even know you." As the hit-counter goes berserk, the water becomes battery acid; his flesh rapidly corrodes and he dies as people watch from their computers, courtesy of live video streaming. What does this say about human nature these days? It's simple - the net has accelerated and magnified the morbid impulse to gawk at train wrecks. Over the years, the net has made us more uncivil and more inhuman.


    At the core of Untraceable lies a moral question: if a person is being tortured online and you knew the URL where the streaming video can be found, would you visit the site? Furthermore, would your decision be influenced if you knew the person's death is hastened based on the volume of the site's traffic? These days snuff sites do exist. And, reportedly, in some communities they're quite popular. It doesn't take much expertise to uncover an online video of someone being genuinely executed. Seek and you shall find. Taking this one step further, what is it with mankind's fascination with the horrible? A majority of the population watches the news everyday (or listens to it) to learn about the latest local murders or tragic accidents. As we drive past an accident site, we slow down and observe the scene. Has mankind truly become sadistic voyeurs?


    For the first half of Untraceable, the veneer of intelligence it exhibits is truly amazing. During said first half, this tense thriller is compelling in the way that a thriller like Se7en is compelling. Director Hoblit took pride in the realistic portrayal of an FBI pursuit of online criminals. Unfortunately, there are far too many unbelievable elements and obnoxious clichés in the film that the authenticity of the investigation process scarcely matters. Furthermore, it seems the more obvious methods of police work are jettisoned. After the first two victims are identified, the investigators never seem too fazed about establishing a possible connection between the two. As it is, if the (what would've been utterly obvious) connection was established the police would have had their criminal in the bag within the first hour of the film's runtime. But no - the five credited screenwriters exploit a formulaic structure and clichés to no end. Not a single cliché stone remains unturned in the film's rush to a jaw-droppingly stupid conclusion.


    Most clichéd are the characters. Jennifer is a widowed woman and a neglectful mother with family problems. Colin Hanks' computer geek works with almost impossible efficiency. And towards the film's climax, a character reveals over the phone he's found something vital. Instead of relaying this vital information over the phone (not even in brief summary), this character explains he'll reveal it later on when he's face-to-face with the voice at the other end of the phone. We know he's not going to live very much longer. Poor guy never stood a chance.


    Untraceable ends up containing stupid filler material as if the screenwriters were on autopilot during the writing process. Instead of this filler material, the writers should've been establishing more build-up. By this I mean the website automatically goes from the killing of a kitten to the killing of live humans. It jumps straight into the nitty gritty, and as a result the nitty gritty feels unearned. The killer should have whet appetites more extensively; perhaps starting with something small, like a rat, before moving up to larger house-hold pets. Another irritating aspect is the killer's impossible ability to capture prey without any trouble at all. And in the space of a few days he can somehow conceive an elaborate torture method for a victim. In these few days he's also capable of purchasing the proper equipment (it would cost a fortune...how does he pay for it all?) and rigging it up without the neighbours hearing any noise. The reasoning behind the killer's murder spree is also inadequate. It's nothing mind-blowing - in fact there's nothing to make you gasp or leave you speechless. It plays out as if nothing substantial is being revealed.


    The rote thriller elements also make an appearance: red herrings, poking around dingy basements, and the good old reliable killer-coming-at-what-the-heroine-loves gambit. Another thing that irritated me is that without much promotion, the site is able to reach millions of hits within a matter of seconds. I don't think so...


    To its credit, the film manages to avoid relying on gore to "build suspense". Hostel, for example, was simply gory murders with no substance. Untraceable is able to hold audiences in suspense with the intriguing premise. In fact, if you ignore the preposterous conclusion and endless clichés, this isn't a bad film. But in the last 20 minutes the film descends into a dark abyss of nothingness. It becomes a laundry list of clichés minus any originality or cleverness. It concludes with a whimper. The heroine, as if in a stupid horror film, continues doing things so asinine it's laughable. It doesn't provoke anymore chills...instead it provokes derisive chortles. It's as if the filmmakers who made the first two acts were replaced by Uwe Boll collaborators for the final act. It's frustrating that such a promising premise died without a trace.


    The always dependable Diane Lane is competent in the title role. As she moves through the script's laboured contrivances, the good news is that Lane is easily watchable. She appears to have more emotional range than, say, Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs. The fact still remains that Lane is forced to endure a pretty disappointing script. Maybe she was initially seduced by the great first half of the script, or maybe she needed a paycheck. She occasionally lends a touch of class to an otherwise tacky thriller; striving to keep the script afloat during the last half with little success.

    The supporting cast is effective, although moderately tiny. Colin Hanks has inherited a portion of his father's amiability and Billy Burke has the perfect square jaw for his part as the extraneous cop/pseudo-love interest.


    Untraceable feels half-baked. However it's a competent suspenser that conveys a fairly potent moral statement about human nature in the digital age ruled by the internet. It's adeptly handled - an attractive colour scheme, a likable cast, fairly credible police procedures and some intense moments - but in the end it's ultimately undermined as it follows the modern thriller playbook to the letter. Into the last half it's cliché for exhausted cliché. This had the potential to be this decade's Se7en, but it's a missed opportunity.


    "If that's water in that tank, pretty soon he's going to be sitting in battery acid."
  • Stinger839
    February 4, 2009
    Stinger839
    It has a bit of pro-internet censorship theme. Seriously, I haven't seen a more elaborate yet unconvincing argument for net censorship.

    The only scary part of this movie is the glimpse into the life of Feds who track net crime. Good thing they're too busy with pedos and scammers...( read more) to mess with downloaders AKA the common pirate such as myself. I actually watched the movie on a site where pirates can upload rips to stream (stagevu.com) and some of the scenes were so scary that I did occasionally consider closing the browser (lol jj I know they ain't interested in me).

    The trailer gives away the film's final act, not like it isn't totally predictable anyway. Something the film does well is that it captures how much net tech has entered our lives. It also provides a decent backstory for the killer's motive.

    Truth is, the world is just as sick and shitty as it has always been, but this film sort of pens it on the (uncontrolled) internet. All the net is is humanity evolved. We would crave to watch death no matter what; the net just does what it does for anything - makes it easier and more accessible. Frankly, that's a damn good thing. What people use technology for reflects the reality of human nature. And we really like violence - ALL people, not just Americans as the film points directly at the American net user (all non-US IPs can't access the killing site directly). I am going off topic here because this movie has just pissed me off with its "message". I WANT to see violence. I crave it as essential part of my being. Violence happens whether or not there is a camera fixed on it. It is better for us to see what happens than not. I truly believe, because I know it's true for me, that if people couldn't watch violence, they'd be more likely to go out and be violent. Yes, that's right - I'm saying that watching violence keeps us from committing it. Our natural appetite for violence is easily satiated by viewing simulated or the rare captured real violence. Those who have insatiable appetites for violence may be made "more creative" by watching violent films and other media, as the infamous saying goes (from Scream), but it doesn't make killers out of the greater general bulk of viewers. For example, if this were a real life story, I would not visit the site while the killings were taking place because I would not want to contribute to the demise of a random person. I would, however, watch the clip after on another site whose host had captured the film and was offering it free of guilt/charge. lmao

    Oh and speaking of this film's violence, to put it in context of what I just said - it has NOT sated my primal human need for violence BY ANY STRETCH. Pedestrian surfers, read that last statement like this: THIS MOVIE HAS CRAPPY KILL SCENES AND NO GORE. IT's LIKE TAME SAW.
  • DerekA101
    December 8, 2008
    DerekA101
    Untraceable, in the spirit of good psychological crime thrillers, attempts to rejuvenate a genre with the addition of a new element: torture porn. Where others have succeeded, this film fails miserably...

    Essentially what the director attempted to do was mix two cult cl...( read more)assics in Saw and Silence of the Lambs, but instead the end result is a convoluted crapfest of FearDotCom and Twisted (both god awful films).

    Everything is wrong with this film... I love Diane Lane, she is absolutely gorgeous. But this was not a good role for her. These stereotypical crime thrillers always have a headstrong, stunning female protagonist (i.e. Twisted, Silence of the Lambs, Bone Collector, Kiss the Girls, etc). Lane's character fails due to predictability and trite cliches. For instance, the pointless opening scene shows us just how smart Lane's character is by tracking down and nailing an elaborate internet scam artist who steals identities and credit cards... all while she leans back cozy in her spinning chair smiling and winking at her co-worker (Colin Hanks) gingerly whisking her hair around and talking sarcastically seductive as if she were sharing a margarita with a handsome stranger. Somebody gag me.....

    On to my main quarrel with this film... However, BEWARE THIS PARAGRAPH CONTAINS SPOILERS. The mysterious killer is actually revealed in the middle of the movie! I couldn't believe my eyes! This film was some what intriguing when the killer was a mystery. It completely took the edginess out of the film. Imagine knowing who the mastermind in Saw is at the beginning of the film... that's right, the rest of the film would have SUCKED! That's what we have here... then to top it off, the killer is 20 years old! The director really assumes the audience is completely ignorant and void of all sense of reality. This kid isn't old enough to buy beer, yet he is smart enough to develop elaborate schemes in a short amount of time? And is strong and smart enough to abduct predetermined victims, while staying one step ahead of the FBI? C'mon.... I'm not THAT stupid. I was annoyed by this film's lack of realism.

    The only redeeming quality of this pathetic little film is it's overall message, and the eye-opening revelation that we as humans are entertained by other people's misfortunes.

    Good message... horrible execution...
  • 76Majikat
    November 23, 2008
    76Majikat
    An impressive performance by Diane Lane who leads the cast in this Serial Killer thriller, where the excitement commences immediately and continues until the very end.

    I am a huge fan of these type of stories and although the killer wasn?t as strong a character as it could hav...( read more)e been, plus there was an element of predictability, it was a much enjoyed film with a fresh new perspective on internet killers.
  • TheQueenOfAwesomeness
    November 12, 2009
    TheQueenOfAwesomeness
    thriller starring Diane Lane, Colin Hanks and Billy Burke. directed by Gregory Hoblit.

    when a killer uses an internet site to allow it's viewers to decide the fate of his victims, it is up to FBI Agent Jennifer Marsh (Lane) of the FBI's Cyber Crime Division to stop him.

    kinda ...( read more)formulaic and a little graphic at times, but still a great thriller. I really enjoyed this one. ♥
  • srrutledge1175
    November 11, 2009
    srrutledge1175
    they screwed this movie up!
  • kerryslue
    November 4, 2009
    kerryslue
    this film was amazing
  • iamthethinman
    November 3, 2009
    iamthethinman
    This movie did nothing for me. I don?t know why, but I felt no involvement, excitement, connection or anything. It seems to me that someone decided to cobble together a bunch of ?popular? elements of the online world and Saw-popular torture movies and try to make a social point. ...( read more)Well, that all probably could have been a decent short story, but told this way, there is no suspense. And I had no fear of the villain. It was just a very bland movie. And the performances aren?t anything special. No one gets to shine and nothing is very original. Pass.
  • Gail1988
    October 22, 2009
    Gail1988
    Great movie!! So glad I saw it. Had the nice thriller element without being too frightening.
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