Imagine running out of the house to take the commuting train and suddenly you realize your wife got money out of your wallet because she asked you to stop at the ATM. What to do? Well, Charles Schine gets an offer he can't refuse. When the beautiful, and sexy, Lucinda Harris, offers to pay his fare, he is grateful for it. Promising to return the money, he becomes restless as he remembers about the angel that saved him.
Charles Schine lives in a suburb of Chicago. His pretty wife Deanna is a school teacher. They have a teen aged daughter who suffers from diabetes. Both have nice jobs, but they are by no means rich. Charles makes a mistake when he goes after the kind woman who rescued him in the train, Lucinda Harris. She is a financial adviser who works for a prestigious firm. Unfortunately, the sexual attraction for Lucinda gets the best of Charles. A sad mistake!
When Lucinda decides to spend time with Charles, they end up in a somewhat seedy hotel. Lucinda has refused several well known ones from the taxi ride because her husband might see them. After they begin making love, a guy breaks in the room. This guy wants to rob them, but he has more in mind. Charles is hurt badly, and Lucinda was raped. He suggests calling the police, but Lucinda declines, citing how she can't create a scandal.
The attacker doesn't take long to contact Charles to demand money from him in order to keep quiet. This menacing guy, LaRoche, wants more and more. Charles realizes he can't keep meeting his demands, but takes money that has been marked for Amy's possible kidney operation. With the help of a former inmate, now working in his office, Charles puts a plan in action, but it backfires on him. What can he do? He is really trapped and must keep on paying in order to get LaRoche away from him and his family.
Mikael Hafstrom, a talented Swedish director, making his Hollywoodd debut, directs Stuart Beattie's adaptation of James Siegel thriller. The film, while vilified by most comments in this forum, offers some interesting points. It's not as bad a film as some people make it out to be. Of course, in a way, the ending is not satisfactory. We have been presented a weak Charles Schine, who's supposed to be an intelligent man. Yet, Charles takes the easy way out, yielding to the brutish LaRoche, who's gotten the best of him. Charles Schine never have cheated on his wife, but the sexual Lucinda Harris makes him lose his head and his dignity, even if their affair is short lived.
Another thing that doesn't work quite as well in the film is the Lucinda Harris as portrayed by Jennifer Aniston. As a femme fatale, this actress seems to have been miscast. She is much too wholesome and pretty to project malice. There is a problem of credibility as to why Charles Schine, who would have taken an earlier train happens to be in the one that Lucinda Harris is riding. She is by no means in the same category of a Barbara Stanwyck, or even Glen Close, although her work in the film is more than adequate. Also, the ending kept reminding us of the Richard Gere's character in "Unfaithful" and it appears to reaffirm that yes, crime does pay, just don't get caught!
Clive Owen, a good actor, is seen as Charles Schine, the spineless man who tries to pay his blackmailer in order to keep him away. Jennifer Aniston's Lucinda is another story, as noted before. Vincent Cassel has done his share of creeps in other European movies. Melissa George, who plays Deanna, is only seen briefly. Tom Conti, a great actor, who is not seen too often these days, has a couple of good moments, although one would have liked to have seen him more. Giancarlo Esposito comes only at the end, as a Chicago detective investigating Winston's death.
The film was beautifully photographed by Peter Biziou, who shows us some Chicago views. Ed Shearmur's music plays well in the context of the film. One could only wish better material for Mikael Hafstrom on his next film.
Charles Schine lives in a suburb of Chicago. His pretty wife Deanna is a school teacher. They have a teen aged daughter who suffers from diabetes. Both have nice jobs, but they are by no means rich. Charles makes a mistake when he goes after the kind woman who rescued him in the train, Lucinda Harris. She is a financial adviser who works for a prestigious firm. Unfortunately, the sexual attraction for Lucinda gets the best of Charles. A sad mistake!
When Lucinda decides to spend time with Charles, they end up in a somewhat seedy hotel. Lucinda has refused several well known ones from the taxi ride because her husband might see them. After they begin making love, a guy breaks in the room. This guy wants to rob them, but he has more in mind. Charles is hurt badly, and Lucinda was raped. He suggests calling the police, but Lucinda declines, citing how she can't create a scandal.
The attacker doesn't take long to contact Charles to demand money from him in order to keep quiet. This menacing guy, LaRoche, wants more and more. Charles realizes he can't keep meeting his demands, but takes money that has been marked for Amy's possible kidney operation. With the help of a former inmate, now working in his office, Charles puts a plan in action, but it backfires on him. What can he do? He is really trapped and must keep on paying in order to get LaRoche away from him and his family.
Mikael Hafstrom, a talented Swedish director, making his Hollywoodd debut, directs Stuart Beattie's adaptation of James Siegel thriller. The film, while vilified by most comments in this forum, offers some interesting points. It's not as bad a film as some people make it out to be. Of course, in a way, the ending is not satisfactory. We have been presented a weak Charles Schine, who's supposed to be an intelligent man. Yet, Charles takes the easy way out, yielding to the brutish LaRoche, who's gotten the best of him. Charles Schine never have cheated on his wife, but the sexual Lucinda Harris makes him lose his head and his dignity, even if their affair is short lived.
Another thing that doesn't work quite as well in the film is the Lucinda Harris as portrayed by Jennifer Aniston. As a femme fatale, this actress seems to have been miscast. She is much too wholesome and pretty to project malice. There is a problem of credibility as to why Charles Schine, who would have taken an earlier train happens to be in the one that Lucinda Harris is riding. She is by no means in the same category of a Barbara Stanwyck, or even Glen Close, although her work in the film is more than adequate. Also, the ending kept reminding us of the Richard Gere's character in "Unfaithful" and it appears to reaffirm that yes, crime does pay, just don't get caught!
Clive Owen, a good actor, is seen as Charles Schine, the spineless man who tries to pay his blackmailer in order to keep him away. Jennifer Aniston's Lucinda is another story, as noted before. Vincent Cassel has done his share of creeps in other European movies. Melissa George, who plays Deanna, is only seen briefly. Tom Conti, a great actor, who is not seen too often these days, has a couple of good moments, although one would have liked to have seen him more. Giancarlo Esposito comes only at the end, as a Chicago detective investigating Winston's death.
The film was beautifully photographed by Peter Biziou, who shows us some Chicago views. Ed Shearmur's music plays well in the context of the film. One could only wish better material for Mikael Hafstrom on his next film.