Abandon
Yet another film you can blame on the SAG strike scare of 2001 on. “Abandon” went in front of the cameras (much like “Showtime,” “40 Days And 40 Nights,” and many other films this year) without a polished script, an untested lead talent, and a shaky first time director to guide it through. It should come as no shock that the film doesn’t work. But what does surprise is that there are so many talented people in this mess that can‘t save the film with their own powers.
Catherine Burke (Katie Holmes, “Dawson’s Creek”) is in her final stages of college life. With finals coming, job prospects popping up everywhere, and her thesis giving her problems due to writer’s block, Catherine is coming apart at the seams. In walks Detective Wade Handler (Benjamin Bratt, “Pinero”), with a handful of questions about a former flame named Embry Langan (Charlie Hunnam, from Fox’s much missed TV show “Undeclared”) who disappeared two years prior. Catherine has no new information for the cop, but when the memories of this past affair are reopened, she literally begins to see Embry everywhere she looks, leading her to believe that he might be back in her life for real this time.
“Abandon” is director Stephen Gaghan’s attempt to weave Roman Polanski histrionics with turgid romantic and investigative subplots that go absolutely nowhere. Gaghan is the recent recipient of an Academy Award for his work in adapting the British miniseries “Traffik” to the big screen in 2000. So does this make him qualified to helm a feature film? That answer would be a resounding no, as Gaghan has no control over anything in his own film. Mood, performance, even his cinematography (the film looks lit by an underwater Sea World lighting system) is downbeat and lackluster. Since Gaghan also wrote the script, one would think he would be the best man for the directing job. Gaghan knows very little about pace and suspense, and in a pro’s hands, “Abandon‘s” loose story of paranoia and mystery might’ve shown some signs of precious life on screen. In Gaghan’s hands, “Abandon” is unrelentingly sluggish, and takes a full 75 minutes before anything of note occurs. Far too long for any self-respecting thriller to start cooking.
Though she received a career high paycheck for her appearance in “Abandon,” I’m not terribly convinced that Katie Holmes has the poise yet for leading roles. She’s been grand with supporting parts in “The Gift” and “Go,” but Holmes has a sticky sweet sensuality that doesn’t fit in here with Gaghan’s overall plans for the character. She’s as good as she can be in this confusing role, but she doesn’t add up to much. Neither do co-stars Bratt and Hunnam. They also share meticulously planned roles in Gaghan’s script, but in the final film, the characters make little sense, either in placement or motivation.
In an effort to make all the tedium worthwhile, Gaghan has thrown in a curt little Shyamalan-like twist ending to pay off his story. It’s nice, but unearned. A case of too little, too late, and a painful reminder that “Abandon” might’ve contained more power, had it been allowed just a little more time to develop rather than being rushed into production.
For a film about investigation, the only question I found myself asking after “Abandon” finished was simply, is it too late to get that Oscar back from Gaghan?
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