A surprisingly powerful thriller

Rating: 9/10 (24 January 2004)

This movie was not at all like I expected. I knew it was supposed to be a thriller, but I was not prepared for how grimly disturbing this film was.
Ashton Kutcher was surprisingly believable in his new dramatic role. And Amy Smart was awesome. I've always been a big fan of Amy, but this movie presented her the vehicle to show just how diverse she is as an actress. She plays a waitress, preppy college coed, hooker, and business woman all in one film and pulls it off brilliantly.
The beginning of the movie was a bit confusing. But as the plot unfolds, the loose ends are all tied up nicely, leading to an ending that was somewhat unexpected.
The movie contains almost every kind of disturbingly taboo human behavior. Parts of it reminded me of "The Good Son," which was also a very disquieting film. But this movie was multidimensional in that the underlying reasons behind all the troubling behavior are revealed in the plot.
I also appreciated the fact that the movie didn't have a lot of gore, although it certainly could have. It just didn't need to show it all to be effective (although there are a couple of places you might want to look away).
The movie left me with a lot of mixed emotions at the end. I thought the ending was basically fine, but not totally satisfying. And it just left me with an uneasy feeling. But after having time to reflect, I can say that I would recommend this movie without reservation. Just be prepared to he unnerved.