Review of Gone (2012) by Danielonfilm — 24 Feb 2012

This late February release has the outer shell of The Silence of the Lambs; serial killer abducts a woman, throws her into the ground, and it's up to Clarice Starling (called Jill here) to rescue her before it's too late.

But gone are the memorable characters and unforgettable performances, gone are the psychological insights and sexual undercurrent, and gone are the atmosphere of evil and looming menace. At least they got the title right.

Jill's methodology holds the film's interest. She knows that people rarely believe her when she tells the truth about the abduction of herself or her sister, so she tells them lies they'll believe instead, whatever sob story it takes to get information out of her mark.

She's not a legendary hacker or deductive sleuth; she's a pathological liar in search of the truth. While how it gets there holds interest, the story of Gone arrives at familiar beats; a betrayal as the film goes into the final stretch (from a character we haven't met yet), a high-speed car chase heralds the climax.

The film runs on borrowed parts from better films (Silence of the Lambs) and lesser films (Kiss the Girls), and suffers from a lack of invention. Without proper setup, the film does not payoff to what little it builds up to, leaving a feeling of wanting more from 90 minute's investment.