Gone (2012)

Gone (2012)
Lost and Frowned

Abduction films are a staple of the thriller genre, with some rip-roaring successes and some utter fumbles. Taken (2008) became a surprising mainstream hit, starring Liam Neeson as a father attempting to find his daughter who has been “taken” in Europe. This film from director Heitor Dhalia, starring Amanda Seyfried, received little attention at the box office, but is a well-structured, compelling abduction movie.

Set in small-town USA, Seyfried plays a paranoid waitress named Jill, who lives with her younger sister Molly (Emily Wickersham). Jill is paranoid for good reason. According to her, she was abducted from her bed one night, taken deep into the woods where she was thrown into a hole by a masked attacker. Managing to escape, Jill now believes the would-be killer now hunts her down. The police searched the woods and found no trace that Jill was taken there, and subsequently had her sent into a mental facility.

The film takes place some years on, only this time, Molly is taken during the night and, having tested the authorities patience already, Jill becomes a one-person search party for her sister, whilst evading the police who are afraid Jill is becoming dangerously unstable.

Tense and quick-moving, Gone is a forceful thriller that weaves through a simple horror plot. Whilst the storyline is ultimately quite simple, the few twists and turns which are thrown in the road do make for compelling viewing, and add grace to what can only be described as a brilliant performance by Amanda Seyfried. Pretty much the main character on screen throughout, and alone for most of that, she does well to convey the tension in the scenes, whilst giving small outburst of character which reveal herself slowly for the audience.

Gone lacks the gold-studded plot of a film like Taken (and its budget/locations), but is a decent abduction film which relies heavily upon a great central performance.