Right off I was drawn into this picture by the performances from both Jeff Bridges and Kiefer Sutherland. Bridges appears first, and he captures the attention right away. He's off; something's not quite right about him. You know going in that the story revolves around a man obsessed with the search for his missing girlfriend. As you watch Bridges play Barney, you're left wondering right away - is he the guy looking for the girlfriend, or is he the guy who kidnapped the girlfriend. You wonder that, because you know that the other lead actor in this (although he's not yet been introduced) is Kiefer Sutherland as Jeff - who often (especially at this relatively early stage of his career) played fairly menacing characters. So there's a question right off. But the roles are the reverse of what you expect. Barney is "off" - and frighteningly so.
Jeff and his girlfriend Diane (an early role for Sandra Bullock, and a limited performance, restricted to the first third of the movie if that) stop at a convenience store while on a trip. She goes in to use the restroom and buy some beer. And she never comes out. Or, at least, she never comes back to Jeff. And Jeff becomes obsessed. Sutherland was superb. In this he's not a menacing character. He's completely vulnerable - haunted by Diane's disappearance, not able to move on. His vulnerability increases as the picture goes on, to the actually uncomfortable moment at which he finally breaks down when he gets the chance to confront Barney about what happened to Diane. It was an out of character performance for Sutherland, who was fantastic.
The movie is really his story of obsession. The mystery of Diane's disappearance is somewhat secondary, but it is the engine that drives the character of Jeff, and - like him - the viewer also wants to know what exactly happened to her. Admittedly, there were times when this movie seemed to drag the story out a bit; times when it seemed to be getting unnecessarily long. And yet - that probably helped the viewer (or me at least) get into Jeff's head a bit. This never-ending nightmare that he wants to get to the end of but that keeps going on. That's not really a criticism of the movie. It's interesting the whole way through. It's just an acknowledgement that at times the story was somewhat slow- paced.
After three years, the character of Rita comes into the picture as Jeff's new love interest. Rita was played by Nancy Travis. I have to admit that, for me, Rita was the weakest character of the movie. She came across to me as either unbelievable or unforgivable - and maybe a combination of both. I just found it hard to sympathize with her frustration over Jeff's inability to move on. She knew the story when she entered the relationship. If the woman I loved had suddenly disappeared with no clues and no trace, I might be able to move on and start a new life - as Jeff did - but I'd also be haunted by the question of what happened and I'd likely never stop looking for answers. Rita couldn't understand that? That didn't work for me. I didn't care much for the character. Of course, she does turn out to be the hero in the end - and her heroism is the thing that finally puts Jeff's demons to rest - but through most of the movie I just didn't like the character.
The revelation of what happened to Diane (which does come as the movie approaches its end) is horrible; the stuff of nightmares. The movie ends on a sort of happy note, with Barney dealt with and the mystery solved for Jeff.
It's a good movie. It is a bit slow paced at times, but it's driven (and driven well) by Bridges and Sutherland, who were both extremely good. (7/10)
Jeff and his girlfriend Diane (an early role for Sandra Bullock, and a limited performance, restricted to the first third of the movie if that) stop at a convenience store while on a trip. She goes in to use the restroom and buy some beer. And she never comes out. Or, at least, she never comes back to Jeff. And Jeff becomes obsessed. Sutherland was superb. In this he's not a menacing character. He's completely vulnerable - haunted by Diane's disappearance, not able to move on. His vulnerability increases as the picture goes on, to the actually uncomfortable moment at which he finally breaks down when he gets the chance to confront Barney about what happened to Diane. It was an out of character performance for Sutherland, who was fantastic.
The movie is really his story of obsession. The mystery of Diane's disappearance is somewhat secondary, but it is the engine that drives the character of Jeff, and - like him - the viewer also wants to know what exactly happened to her. Admittedly, there were times when this movie seemed to drag the story out a bit; times when it seemed to be getting unnecessarily long. And yet - that probably helped the viewer (or me at least) get into Jeff's head a bit. This never-ending nightmare that he wants to get to the end of but that keeps going on. That's not really a criticism of the movie. It's interesting the whole way through. It's just an acknowledgement that at times the story was somewhat slow- paced.
After three years, the character of Rita comes into the picture as Jeff's new love interest. Rita was played by Nancy Travis. I have to admit that, for me, Rita was the weakest character of the movie. She came across to me as either unbelievable or unforgivable - and maybe a combination of both. I just found it hard to sympathize with her frustration over Jeff's inability to move on. She knew the story when she entered the relationship. If the woman I loved had suddenly disappeared with no clues and no trace, I might be able to move on and start a new life - as Jeff did - but I'd also be haunted by the question of what happened and I'd likely never stop looking for answers. Rita couldn't understand that? That didn't work for me. I didn't care much for the character. Of course, she does turn out to be the hero in the end - and her heroism is the thing that finally puts Jeff's demons to rest - but through most of the movie I just didn't like the character.
The revelation of what happened to Diane (which does come as the movie approaches its end) is horrible; the stuff of nightmares. The movie ends on a sort of happy note, with Barney dealt with and the mystery solved for Jeff.
It's a good movie. It is a bit slow paced at times, but it's driven (and driven well) by Bridges and Sutherland, who were both extremely good. (7/10)