Untracable = Movie Review

What would you do if you found that by simply logging onto a website you could watch streaming video of a person being torturously murdered? Would your answer be different if you realized the higher the number of people logging on, the faster the victim would die? Diane Lane, brilliantly cast as Jennifer Marsh, is a single working mother in Portland, Oregon. Her job? She’s a specialized FBI agent assigned to Cyber crimes. Crimes in cyberspace usually involve a backlog of identity theft cases or pedophiles, pornographers and other predators crossing interstate boundaries. But there are exception and sometimes those exceptions are close to home. During what begins as a typical shift, Jennifer is handed an anonymous tip that had been called into the office. The tip leads her to a website called KILLWITHME.com. She logs on to discover streaming video of a kitten being tortured on a rat trap. It doesn’t take long to also discover the site is extremely sophisticated making it impossible to trace with her level of government equipment. Jennifer’s superiors only begin taking her concerns seriously when the victims on the site become people – then people they know. “Untraceable” may not be an action film, but the pace is attached to constantly building intensity that doesn’t release its grip until this relentless thriller reaches the peak of its climatic end. At that point you may realize that taking a breath might be good. Don’t expect CGI or a fifty member stunt team. “Untraceable” is a solid detective story that ups the thrill when the hunters becomes the hunted. The technology is smart and realistic but the strength of this film comes from the performances; especially the engrossing performance of Diane Lane. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.