"Gripping Thriller
Veers Off Track"
by Scott Mantz

"Derailed"
Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston
Directed by Mikael Hafstrom

More than friends!  Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen cross the line in "Derailed"

Most men who were married back in the 80's will probably never forget one of the most frightening cinematic experiences of their lives – the day they sat through director Adrian Lyne's infamous “Fatal Attraction” for the very first time.  That's because no matter how faithful they were to their wives, the controversial thriller hit a nerve, playing out like an extreme cautionary tale about how one simple act of infidelity could spiral out of control with serious, life-threatening consequences.

Those men will likely feel a sick sense of déjà vu, while a whole new generation will feel that way for the first time when they see “Derailed,” the engrossing new psychological thriller starring Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen.  The difference is that where “Fatal Attraction” was a landmark film that was more or less grounded in reality, “Derailed” gets more absurd as it progresses before nearly derailing itself in the last 20 minutes.

But for the rest of the time, it’s a gripping, intense and extremely entertaining nail-biter that features Jennifer Aniston’s most impressive big-screen work to date.  The problem is that by stretching the boundaries of credibility to the point where it doesn’t know when to quit (thanks to a succession of predictable, yet increasingly far-fetched plot twists), “Derailed” becomes less memorable as a cautionary tale and more effective as the guilty pleasure that it really is.

In a role that initially recalls his performance in last year’s infidelity-based drama “Closer,” Clive Owen plays Charles Shine, a married advertising executive who works in Chicago.  The day he misses his regular train, he meets Lucinda Harris (Jennifer Aniston), a sexy, successful professional who is also married.  They begin a light affair that consists of lunch and after-work cocktails, but when they decide to take their relationship to the next level, their passion is interrupted by LaRoche (Vincent Cassel), a violent thug who breaks into their seedy hotel room and holds them up at gunpoint.

Charles is beaten to a pulp, but he cannot to go to the police to report the crime, nor can he confide in his wife for fear that she will leave him.  But the situation goes from bad to worse when LaRoche continually threatens Charles with blackmail, forcing him to take matters into his own hands.  What began as an illicit affair soon turns deadly, as Charles finds himself trapped in a dark world that’s far removed from the cozy life that he once knew.

Director Mikael Hafstrom and writer Stuart Beattie (“Collateral”) – whose adapted screenplay is quite faithful to James Siegel’s popular novel – shamelessly replicate the emotions stirred by “Fatal Attraction,” right down to some similar plot developments.  But there are some obvious differences, starting with the fact that the jilted lover famously played by Glenn Close has been replaced by Vincent Cassel’s disturbing, violent thug who won’t leave Clive Owen alone.  Complicating matters further is that Owen’s daughter (played by Addison Timlin) suffers from extreme diabetes, which tightens the financial noose around his family.

But given how much she’s been in the press lately (for reasons that have little to do with her career), most of the attention will likely go to Jennifer Aniston, who gives her strongest big screen performance since her critically acclaimed turn in 2002’s “The Good Girl” (ironically, in which she also played an unfaithful wife).  It’s a sexy, confident turn that effectively leaves her legacy from TV’s “Friends” in the dust, but it’s more of a supporting role compared to Clive Owen, who carries the film with a grueling performance that runs a gamut of emotions.

French actor Vincent Cassel, best known to American moviegoers as George Clooney’s nemesis in “Ocean’s Twelve,” is downright menacing as the psychopath who makes life difficult for Owen, while Melissa George is mildly effective in a stereotypical, underwritten role as Owen’s suffering housewife.  Also worth mentioning are hip-hop artists RZA and Xzibit, who put in decent turns as Owen’s only confidant and Cassel’s partner-in-crime respectively.

Other films have explored the consequences of infidelity with varying degrees of success, but “Derailed” is by far the most riveting since “Fatal Attraction.”  It doesn’t slow down for a minute, and despite some notable plot contrivances that don’t hold up under scrutiny, it’s a safe bet that married men everywhere will remember it as one of the most frightening cinematic experiences of their lives.

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