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Liaison quickly falls off track in ‘Derailed'”Derailed” ranks as a textbook example from the if-you-play-you-pay school of thrillers.

By Lou Gaul Calkins Media Film Critic 3 min read

It’s the type of erotically charged picture where two people married to others embark on an affair, think they’re going to be dancing in the sheets and then hit a wall. In this R-rated picture, they slam into it and endure an incredibly painful penance to pay for their sins.

As the story begins, two sexually bored suburbanites, Charles Schine (Clive Owen of “Closer”) and Lucinda Harris (Jennifer Aniston of TV’s “Friends”), work in Chicago as corporate executives and feel that their love lives at home need extreme makeovers. They meet on a commuter train, excite each other instantly and on a dark and stormy night in the Windy City decide to sleep together in a seedy room at an out-of-the-way hotel.

Their liaison quickly turns ugly as an armed intruder, Philippe Laroche (Vincent Cassel of “Brotherhood of the Wolf”), viciously beats Schine, rapes Harris and warns them to keep quiet about what happened. To preserve their marriages, the two agree not to contact police.

Soon after, however, Laroche, who believes Schine has deep pockets, blackmails the advertising executive. He even shows up at the victim’s house, where he charms the man’s wife, Deanna (Melissa George), and young daughter, Amy (Addison Timlin).

Schine has $100,000 at his disposal, but the funds are for very expensive medical treatments required by his sick daughter. He initially starts to deplete the account to pay off Laroche, who works with a bellman-impersonating accomplice (rapper-turned-actor RZA of “Coffee and Cigarettes”), and tries to get his life back on track.

Since Schine never reported the original crime, he possesses no evidence against Laroche. That, of course, means that “Derailed” turns into a revenge tale with Schine resorting to “Death Wish”-like actions out of the Charles Bronson handbook to save his family. Harris is petrified that her jealous, workaholic husband will find out about her indiscretion, divorce her and be given custody of their child.

Those willing to sit back and just go along for the ride can expect some minor thrills from the material, though many viewers may consider the plot twists preposterous and the sexual violence disturbing. Based on the novel by James Siegel, the picture features a slightly surprising twist, and Aniston, who hoped this project would establish her as a box-office draw, remains on the periphery for too much of the time.

The biggest mystery in “Derailed,” directed by 45-year-old Swedish filmmaker Mikael Hafstrom (“Evil”), is figuring out why Aniston, who has enough money from her “Friends” residuals to wait for a stronger role, would hitch her star to this by-the-numbers thriller.

Owen fares slightly better as a caring man who makes a mistake, enters a dark world and seeks a way to keep his family together as he goes through hell and challenges villains scary enough to chill the cold heart of Glenn Close’s rabbit-cooking Alex Forrest character in “Fatal Attraction.”

FILM REVIEW

“Derailed”

Grade: B- for forgiving thriller fans only; C for anyone else

Starring: Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassel, Melissa George, RZA and Addison Timlin; screenplay by Stuart Beattie, based on the novel by James Siegel; directed by Mikael Hafstrom.

Running Time: 105 minutes.

Parental Guide: R rating (very strong violence, including a sexual assault, harsh four-letter profanity, sexual elements).

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