UNTRACEABLE
US, 2008, 101 minutes, Colour.
Diane Lane, Billie Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross, Mary Beth Hurt.
Directed by Gregory Hoblit.
This is quite an alarming film, not only in its topic and treatment but in its implications about the use of the Internet.
One of the problems of this kind of story is that it deals with ugly realities (or ugly hypotheses) and it is difficult to know how much detail to show, how much should be presented by suggestion rather than straightforwardly so that the impression of exploiting the material rather than exploring it is communicated.
The intentions of the film-makers here are not exploitative but the nastiness of the theme will make many audiences wonder.
This is a film about a serial killer, something that is not particularly new. What seems like a number of random and cruel killings are eventually found to be linked. The FBI are on the case with a range of agents, especially those now employed to investigate computer crime. Principal agent is played by Diane Lane, a widow with an 8 year old daughter, who uses her wits but also experiences physical danger. It is a role that in the past would have been played by a man. Diane Lane does it with effective concentration and vigour, especially in some final heroics.
The problem is that the insane killer is abducting victims and showing the torture and deaths on an untraceable website called Killwithme. The alarming aspect is that the killer (who is revealed to have more than a grudge against the television media) invites people to log on to watch, the more hits on the site, the more quickly the victim dies exposed to the sick and/or curious gaze of the net surfers and warped customers.
One of the realities in making a film which crusades about a cause is that it can be done quite effectively as a documentary but will have a limited audience. It is more cogent if made as a story in a feature film format which engages audience interest and works on their emotions. The trouble here is that, despite our revulsion at the behaviour of those who log on (in their increasing millions) and who watch torture and death, we are tantalised, at least on the level of curiosity, and this can be alarming to our image of ourselves.
This is why Untraceable might be a useful film for discussion of these dreadful issues with audiences knowing in their mind how revolting this is but having to admit that we can be caught up in such experiences.
Gregory Hoblit has made a number of tough crime thrillers after his experiences on television series like Hill Street Blues. His Primal Fear is one of the best of courtroom dramas and murder mysteries. His 2007 thriller, Fracture, with Anthony Hopkins trying to cover the perfect murder were well made, thought-provoking films on disturbing subjects.
Not the kind of film one can generally recommend but it is well-made, horrifying and raises themes which need fearless facing and which need to be dealt with.
1.A competent thriller, contemporary, Internet background, serial killer, vengeance, FBI investigation? A satisfactory combination of each of these strands?
2.The city of Portland, the FBI headquarters, ordinary homes, the streets, cellars, the use of the bridge, the musical score?
3.The contemporary technology, the FBI and their equipment, the Internet, broadcast Internet, the home hackers and their equipment?
4.The morality of the Internet: its use, people watching, sensation, violence, prurient curiosity? The effect of watching this material? The symbol of the various views – and death?
5.The exploitation of what the film was targeting? Its appropriate use? The sequences of the deaths of the victims? Of Griffin Dowd’s death? Of the attack on Jennifer? The voyeurism for the audience?
6.The set-up, the tip-off about the deaths, killwithme.com, the abduction of the cat and its mystery, the death of the cat? The further abductions, the pilot, the broadcaster, Griffin? Seemingly at random, the connection with the killer’s father’s suicide? The torture of the victims, the water, the blood, the acid? The detail, the close-up? The experience of dying? The acceleration of the death by the number of viewers?
7.The abducted people, their being taken, the build-up to Griffin being taken, his indication of signs with the eyes and blinking, his own Morse code to Jennifer? Jennifer abducted, confronting the killer, the lawnmower, the rope, the fight and her winning?
8.The work of detection, Jennifer, widow, her Internet work, Griffin and his assistance, the other members of the team? Their hard work, their skills, exposing Internet abusers, chat rooms …? Collaboration? The superior, his interviewing Jennifer, her being put off the case or not? Eric, his coming to help, his admiration for her, relating to her? Jennifer’s home life, widow, her daughter, her mother? The terror – getting them to leave the city? The indication that they might have been abducted – but not?
9.killwithme.com, the skill of the computer nerd, the false addresses for the police, playing with the detectives? Their pursuit of him?
10.The revelation of the killer, at school, his introverted behaviour, lack of relationships? Seeing him in action, his brutality, clever, warped personality?
11.The revelation of his story, his father’s public suicide, being filmed, replayed on television? The killer’s animosity towards the pilot, towards the media, towards the police?
12.Griffin Dowd, his character, investigations, interpretation, his girlfriend, his being abducted, the killer falsifying the voice on the phone? His dying, signalling with Morse indications?
13.The staff, the boss, the press conferences, the media?
14.Jennifer, work, collaboration, sharing with Eric?
15.The scene at the bridge, the site of the death, the pursuit, the electronic tampering with Jennifer’s car, the killer controlling it, abducting her?
16.The final confrontation, physical strength, wits, her defeat of the killer?
17.An effective thriller, the comment on the media, the comment on the morality of the cyberspace world? Its pessimistic attitude towards the public and their prurient curiosity?
