Had potential, but was unsatisfying

Rating: 4/10 (29 September 2013)

I went into this film after having watched the trailer and feeling slightly apprehensive but mostly excited. I liked how the trailer hinted at Hugh Jackman's character being shown to change in demeanor as a result of his daughter's abduction. In reality, the film took a turn in a different and more extreme direction - one that I wouldn't necessarily say was good.
The start of the film played out well, with a realistic and credible scenario. But I found myself throughout the film getting more and more confused and more disinterested as a result. Don't get me wrong: I like films with twists and turns in unexpected directions, but too much so can make me feel a little queasy. I felt like I was spending too much time trying to explain to myself what on earth was going on rather than revelling in the excitement and tension of the actual film. This I found frustrating. Having said that, if you want some thrilling and tense scenes, I think this film provides quite a few. I just think a poor plot can detract from well-acted, tense scenes.
In a nutshell, I would describe this film as a lot of twists, quirks and unusual concepts all put together in quick succession; however, they were not really linked. I could barely draw a connection between a lot of what was happening and I found myself drawn into a strange, unexplained plot which overall left me very unsatisfied.
And that's, unfortunately, how I would say I felt at the end of the film. Unsatisfied, confused, and after about five minutes of trying to piece what I had just watched together, I realised I didn't really care.