On Feb. 24, a new psychological thriller hit theatres nationwide. "Gone," starring Amanda Seyfried of "Mamma Mia!," built up its momentum as a heart-pounding, epic thriller that would leave audiences on the edge of their seats. However, the movie failed to deliver its high expectations. The story follows Jill, a young girl in her early twenties living in Portland, Oregon, who spends her days walking the woods, her evenings training to defend herself and her nights working till the early hours of the next morning. Jill's routine became her norm after she was taken from her bed by a serial killer and thrown into a plunging hole.
Jill has flashbacks of her captivity after she comes back from work one morning to find her sister gone. Immediately, Jill believes it is her kidnapper returning for her only to take her sister, Molly (played by Emily Wickersham of "I Am Number Four"), instead when he realizes his true victim is not home. While the head officer in the investigation, Sergeant Powers, insist hers and her sister's kidnapping is all in her head, Jill believes she knows the truth and proves that she will stop at nothing to show everyone she is right.
However, a young cop, Peter Hood (played by Wes Bentley, best known for "Ghost Rider" and his role in the upcoming film "The Hunger Games"), new to the force, wants to help her, but she rejects his offer and proceeds on her own. The only one that she allows to truly help her is Billy, Molly's boyfriend, who is worried about her safety as well. Powers is played by Daniel Sunjata, known mostly for his work in the recent comedy "One for the Money" and also as a fictional famous designer in "The Devil Wears Prada."
The audience is finally given a sliver of information for the reason for the police's disbelief in regards to Jill's story. It seems as though she has suffered from mental issues since the death of her parents just before her alleged kidnapping. As the first investigation brought no evidence or leads, Jill became paranoid and obsessively frantic, annoying the department. She was involuntarily admitted into a psychiatric facility, where her obsession was suppressed but not diminished. In 94 minutes, Jill concocts so many lies that it is hard to follow the young girl's mentality. Each was different than the one before it, leaving the audience confused. While her reasons for the lies are justified and lead to the truth, it almost becomes repetitive after the first seven fibs to listen to the others come out one after the other.
The entire mid-section of the film consists of interviews, chases, flashbacks and breakdowns which lead the audience to wonder whether the girl is crazy or not. Even so, the movie seems drawn out, fairly uneventful and dry.
The ending, as anticipated as it could be, seems to last all of five minutes, if that. It was quick and did not seem to fit the anticipation the rest of the film carried with it. Seyfried, well-known for her role as a ditzy blonde in "Mean Girls," a loving girl in "Dear John" and a young bride in the previously stated "Mamma Mia!," takes on a new character as Jill. The usual high-spirited, bright-eyed girl was reduced to an anxious, obsessed and scared woman almost afraid of her own shadow.
The movie as a whole lacks in many departments, but it still manages to bring across its main question: how far would you go to prove what you believe?
2.5 out of 5
