Derailed

Like the earlier Unfaithful, director Mikael Hafström's Derailed begins with an act of infidelity that brings unhappy consequences, set into motion when Chicago ad man Charles Schine (Clive Owen, sporting an American accent that comes and goes) boards a commuter train one morning without any cash, and beautiful businesswoman Lucinda Harris (Jennifer Aniston) pays for his ticket. The pair begin an affair, though both are married (Owen not only has a devoted wife but also a severely diabetic daughter on whom he dotes). One afternoon the couple are attacked in a seedy hotel room by a brutal interloper who beats Charles up and rapes Lucinda. To avoid a scandal, Lucinda pressures Charles not to go to the cops—a decision that proves unwise when the villain begins blackmailing him. Unfortunately, only the most unobservant viewer will miss the signs pointing toward a big “surprise” twist. But the movie doesn't stop with that revelation, dragging on for another half-hour, piling up absurd climaxes in a futile attempt to keep the adrenaline pumping. Presumably, the geniuses behind Derailed thought they had a clever mix of Fatal Attraction and Wait Until Dark, but what they've produced instead is a silly, sleazy train-wreck of a movie. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)