While She Was Out

This nasty little indie recycles familiar woman-in-peril gambits followed by some female-empowerment butt kicking. Kim Basinger stars as Della, an abused wife and soccer mom menaced by thugs while doing some last-minute Christmas shopping at a suburban mall. Headed by sadistic Chuckie (Lukas Haas), the young toughs decide to rape and murder Della after she disses them, and the resulting chase finds the mother of twins trapped in a secluded part of town. But Della is resourceful…and mad as hell. Writer-director Susan Montford's While She Was Out brings nothing new to the table, and is only noteworthy for providing the now-seldom-seen Basinger with a leading role, although it's a shame that she isn't finding better starring vehicles than this run-of-the-mill B-movie. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by writer/director Susan Montford and producer Don Murphy, a 26-minute “making-of” featurette, and trailers and TV spots. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (E. Hulse)