| |
|
 
|
| THE BETRAYED |
 |
 |
| Actors: Melissa George, Oded Fehr, Christian Campbell, Alice Krige, Connor Christopher Levins |
| Director: Amanda Gusack |
|
Studio: MGM |
| DVD release: 30 June 2009 |
|
Runtime: 90 min.
(1 disc) |
| Format: Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC |
| DVD features: Aspect ratio 1.78:1, Audio tracks (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, Spanish), Subtitles (English, Spanish, French)
|
|
Okay, so you have to give into the fact that The Betrayed is another one of those movies that takes place for the most part (actually 98% of it) in one location. Once you accept that, the question becomes whether or not there is enough suspense/drama to sustain the viewer's attention for the entire movie. In the overall scheme of things, you can say "yes". Most people won't have high expectations going in, so they might be entertained, pleasantly surprised, and satisfied.
Written by Amanda Gusack, The Betrayed stars Melissa George (Mulholland Drive , The Amityville Horror ) as Jamie. After a car accident - and abduction - she finds herself held captive in an abandoned warehouse where she is put through psychological torture by a mysterious masked man later known as Alex (Oded Fehr of The Mummy fame) who thinks her husband ripped him off for forty million dollars.
Saying anything further about the plot would take away the shock value of what's seen onscreen. An easy comparison could be made to the first Saw film, but The Betrayed is trying to be more than that, and it doesn't rely too much on flashbacks. Because of the chemistry between Jamie and Alex, it ranks just a hair above.
But it is not a horror movie. It is a crime/drama/thriller, but due to the story's confinement (and probably budgetary constraints), explosive violence and adult themes are pursued to keep things interesting and the plot moving along. Yes, there are implausiblities. Depending on your tastes, some will bother you more than others. For me it was the cops who seemed like they were time-warped from the 1950s to present day. But every movie has some conceits, so if you don't know what to pick up one a Blockbuster night, give The Betrayed a chance.
|
|
|
