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The protagonist of the film is Katherine "Katie" Burke, a hotshot financial consultant with a mysterious past. The strength of "Abandon" is the rich detail in the characters and the carefully crafted screenplay. There was a fascinating variety of interesting roles drawn with care. This includes such secondary characters as Katie's best friend, Samantha "Bad Sam" Harper, who do not even figure prominently in the main narrative.
As the film progresses, it becomes clear that nearly everyone loves Katie Burke! From her past, there is Embry Larkin, the charismatic performance artist whom Katie calls "an arrogant, preening bore," who had suddenly disappeared after his graduation. Then, there is the kind cop named Wade Handler, who simply cannot resist Katie after she tells him he has "kind eyes." There is the tag-along, tree-hugging environmentalist, Harrison "Harry" Hobart, who has been infatuated with Katie for years and finally girds himself to declaring his love. There is Bob Hanson, the employer and work supervisor from her first job with the distinguished financial firm of McKisson. Finally, there is Dr. Jack, the psychiatrist who can't keep his hands off Katie. The little librarian, "Mousie Julie," has the distinction of speaking the best line in the film: "Guys are drawn to her (Katie) like bugs to a bug lamp."
The film unfolds a suspenseful storyline around Queen Bee Katie Burke. The audience is kept guessing and the film pulls out all of the stops with a surprise ending. One of the most interesting details in the script was the background on Katie's relationship with her father.
The film was loosely adapted from the novel "Adam's Eyes" by Sean Desmond. The novel was primarily a ghost story set in a haunted dormitory of Harvard University. Writer-director Stephen Gaghan, noted for the brilliant screenplay for the Academy-award-winning "Traffic," completely revised the novel into a much stronger thriller based the multi-dimensional protagonist played effectively by Katie Holmes. The work on editing and the camera angles added to the tension. Benjamin Bratt is also memorable as the sensitive, bookish cop.
The Wikipedia article on "Abandon" refers to the film as a "fiasco." Although it was not a box office hit in 2002, twenty years later, it is apparent that the film is superior to today's run-of-mill potboilers. This was a carefully crafted film with enough suspense to fill a pond in a nearby abandoned dormitory full of mystery and lead the audience into the darkest caverns of the human mind.
score /10
lavatch 1 July 2019
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw4971209/ |
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28-2-2021 11:10:14