"Untraceable" reaches for high-tech thrills but falls short

Film’s focus on the Internet as a vehicle for cyber crime loses sight of plausible crime story, gets preachy about American Web habits

"Untraceable" leaves audiences disappointed to realize despite the horrific premise of the movie, the end result just isn’t that scary.

"Untraceable," which opens today, looks to teach America a lesson about its alarming obsession with others’ misfortune and uses technology that is becoming more and more common as the means by which victims become the serial killer’s prey. But the film, which incorporates in-depth and in some cases implausible details about Internet and other technologies, falls short when it comes to providing the facts it needs to thrill the audience with this crime story.

The movie makes it clear that Americans believe they can hide behind the cloak of the Internet when they take part in acts that degrade, humiliate and exploit others -- activities that most would condemn publicly and never condone outside of the online world. Then "Untraceable" takes the country’s penchant for online voyeurism a step further and uses the Internet as a vehicle for one serial killer’s plot to punish those who exploited a personal tragedy and profited from the public’s detached fascination with the morbid.

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"Untraceable" leaves audiences disappointed to realize despite the horrific premise of the movie, the end result just isn’t that scary.

"Untraceable," which opens today, looks to teach America a lesson about its alarming obsession with others’ misfortune and uses technology that is becoming more and more common as the means by which victims become the serial killer’s prey. But the film, which incorporates in-depth and in some cases implausible details about Internet and other technologies, falls short when it comes to providing the facts it needs to thrill the audience with this crime story.

The movie makes it clear that Americans believe they can hide behind the cloak of the Internet when they take part in acts that degrade, humiliate and exploit others -- activities that most would condemn publicly and never condone outside of the online world. Then "Untraceable" takes the country’s penchant for online voyeurism a step further and uses the Internet as a vehicle for one serial killer’s plot to punish those who exploited a personal tragedy and profited from the public’s detached fascination with the morbid.

The premise involves the serial killer rigging his weapons so that the number of Web site visitors speeds the murder of his victims, the means of which run the gamut from death by bleeding, burning and battery acid. Yet while the movie takes technology to a new level by showcasing just how many ways a person can fall victim to a high-tech genius -- and also goes to great lengths to deliver inventive ways to kill people -- it falls short on the twists and turns a crime thriller promises.

On the Web site Killwithme.com that streams live video of the murders, the first victim is a kitten that dies slowly of starvation while stuck on a trap poised directly before a bowl of milk. The cruelty of this killing hits harder than the subsequent murders of humans, perhaps because it lacked the gratuitous gore of the killer’s human victims or maybe just because children and animals touch a cord with more people than adults. The film focuses in on the stream of comments posted by online site visitors, or what police in the flick call "accessories to murder," which use Internet short-hand to express their delight at the killing. The more people hear about the site, the more visit and the faster the victims die.

While there are technical challenges with this premise -- a home network streaming live video to millions of site visitors would collapse under the load -- the movie also fails to set up the suspense needed to keep the audience on the edge of its seat. For instance, it is obvious early on who among the main characters will first fall victim to the serial killer and it is painfully clear with one line of dialogue how this character will help others discover the killer’s identity.

Then the lead character, FBI cyber crime agent Jennifer Marsh played stiffly by Diane Lane, falls victim more to horror movie clichés than the killer as the movie progresses. What FBI agent wouldn’t notice someone lying in the back seat of their car -- especially after every computer or electronic system in the car was just disabled by the suspect and miraculously rebooted? (This detail cannot be considered a spoiler because it was featured in trailers and commercials.)