Untraceable

Diane Lane stars as FBI agent Jennifer Marsh, an expert in Internet crimes working a doozy of an investigation involving an unseen kidnapper who murders his victims live on the web, rigging elaborate, progressive torture devices that accelerate and intensify with each “hit” to his carefully camouflaged site. When Jennifer gets too close to the killer, he retaliates by hacking into her computers at work…and home. Director Gregory Hoblit, a veteran of the TV series NYPD Blue, makes the fairly outlandish premise seem plausible, thanks to a matter-of-fact treatment, although he doesn't hesitate to splash around a little gore to keep jaded audiences engaged. Blandly dressed with little makeup, Lane is still a bit too glamorous in her role, but she does a customary fine job as the dedicated agent balancing her career with the demands of motherhood. Untraceable is a decent thriller, but minus the R-rated violence it could just have easily been a two-part episode on a network TV police show. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (with director Gregory Hoblit, producer Hawk Koch, and production designer Paul Eads), and four behind-the-scenes featurettes: “Tracking Untraceable” (16 min.), “The Personnel Files” (15 min.), “The Blueprint of Murder” (14 min.), and “The Anatomy of Murder (6 min.). The Blu-ray version also includes a picture-in-picture “Beyond the Cyber Bureau” feature with cast and crew interviews, storyboards, production photos, and behind-the-scenes footage. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an undistinguished thriller.] (E. Hulse)