Untraceable

I found traces of the predictable in Untraceable. We all knew the good guy would die and that the game would prove a pivotal factor but predictability is par for the course in suspense thrillers. I easily forgave this misstep because the movie has gruesome killing and a plot, with an Asian false lead no less (or am I giving too much credit here?). Attempts at serious reflection rendered trite dialogue that interrupted the flow like Crazy Eddie commercials during The Cosby Show but were few enough in number to keep me from screaming insanely. This anemic moviegoer welcomed the touches of irony, especially when presented subtly in the settings (pay attention, you must!) though I didn’t know if I should blame the film’s editor (David Rosenbloom) or screenwriters (Robert Fyvolent, Mark Brinker, and Allison Burnett) for the fill-in-the-blank style plot progressions. Someone suggested the director Gregory Hoblit, omitted these expendable details. Altogether, the 21st century Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes in each of us can enjoy this modern murder mystery.