[4.75/10] Gone (2012)

Gone (2012)

Brief review: "Gone" is Brazilian director Heitor Dhalia's first English language film in his career, but sadly, it falls short, despite its talented cast and decent direction. Maybe if it was made 10 years ago, "Gone" would have been a lot more successful, but for a 2012 movie, it feels dated, unoriginal and at times extremely copycat-ish. Although it's still watchable and mildly engaging, and keeps you wondering the whole time whether the female protagonist has been abducted for real or she's just being paranoid, this 'kidnapping' thriller never gets particularly tense, thrilling or suspenseful, and Allison Burnett's script is contrived to the point of being annoying. On a positive note, the twist in the end is pretty decent and it saves the film from being an absolute disaster. Dhalia's direction lacks creativity and is pretty by-the-numbers, but at the same time, it doesn't have any major flaws about it. The almost monochromic cinematography has some style about it, and creates a somewhat bleak atmosphere, but it also give a rather moody feel to the visuals.. maybe too moody. Considering the weak script she has to work with, the fascinating Amanda Seyfried does a pretty solid job as the bold and fearless Jill determined to find her missing sister and face the abductor, who had kidnapped her too two years ago, but her character's actions are too daring and keen to be realistic and believable enough.

Overall summary: Seyfried does her best with the given material and the stylish photography captures the grim tone of the story, but "Gone" is a soulless and suspense-free thriller that tries hard to be clever, but instead it feels like a rip-off that is very soon to be forgotten.