Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Review: Gone

Remember this scene from Silence of the Lambs? (If you haven't seen Silence of the Lambs, maybe watch just the first minute or so.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc7gm3Hthe8&noredirect=1

I don't feel bad referencing a different film than the one I'm reviewing right here at the outset, partly because, like Silence, Gone is a movie about a guy who kidnaps girls and puts them in a hole in the ground. So it's not all that too terribly different, you know?

Okay, okay, unfair. Both films include that theme, but that's not to say it's what they're about. Silence of the Lambs is about a young woman seeking to deal with psychological damage from a traumatic past by arming herself against evil, only to wind up in a terrifying confrontation with a sadistic madman. Gone is about a young woman seeking to deal with psychological damage from a traumatic past by arming herself...oh, never mind.

But really, they're not the same movie. The tension in Silence comes from the race to save another woman's life, but the drama is based on is the head game between the woman and the genius-monster Hannibal Lecter. The tension in Gone comes from the race to save another woman's life, but the drama is based on the head game between the woman and the police,. A-ha! Found a difference!

And it's a worthwhile difference. When Officer Smugly told Jill (Amanda Seyfried) that the whole "killer in the woods" thing was all in her head, I wanted to punch him for mansplaining, which is as it should be. I like the idea of the girl relying on her own (possibly unreliable) wits, some crusty neighbors, and the sort of helpfulness average people naturally extend toward beautiful blondes, plus maybe an understanding girlfriend or two. Sisterhood!

BUT. But but but but. A film like this lives or dies based on our identification with the lead, and that gets at my real reason for posting the Silence clip above. Clarice Starling has had FBI training. But she is inexperienced, and when she comes up against genuine danger, she is terrified. And we are terrified with her.

Jill is even less experienced, but never once did I sense that kind of desperation coming off of her. Never once did my stomach tighten as I shared her panic over the deadly passage of time. Never once did I feel much of anything, really.

Once that identification fails, other things become more noticeable. The silly plot mechanics. Let's see. Our crazy, armed suspect just chatted up a hardware store owner, then bolted. I know - let's not ask the guy if he knows where she's going. The bloodless direction. And most of all, the unbelievably gutless ending. I like a film to have the courage of its crazy convictions, even if they're fake-crazy convictions.

Reader rating: No stars

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Peaceful, eaze-y feeling

The evolution of San Diego's dope delivery

Remember this scene from Silence of the Lambs? (If you haven't seen Silence of the Lambs, maybe watch just the first minute or so.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc7gm3Hthe8&noredirect=1

I don't feel bad referencing a different film than the one I'm reviewing right here at the outset, partly because, like Silence, Gone is a movie about a guy who kidnaps girls and puts them in a hole in the ground. So it's not all that too terribly different, you know?

Okay, okay, unfair. Both films include that theme, but that's not to say it's what they're about. Silence of the Lambs is about a young woman seeking to deal with psychological damage from a traumatic past by arming herself against evil, only to wind up in a terrifying confrontation with a sadistic madman. Gone is about a young woman seeking to deal with psychological damage from a traumatic past by arming herself...oh, never mind.

But really, they're not the same movie. The tension in Silence comes from the race to save another woman's life, but the drama is based on is the head game between the woman and the genius-monster Hannibal Lecter. The tension in Gone comes from the race to save another woman's life, but the drama is based on the head game between the woman and the police,. A-ha! Found a difference!

And it's a worthwhile difference. When Officer Smugly told Jill (Amanda Seyfried) that the whole "killer in the woods" thing was all in her head, I wanted to punch him for mansplaining, which is as it should be. I like the idea of the girl relying on her own (possibly unreliable) wits, some crusty neighbors, and the sort of helpfulness average people naturally extend toward beautiful blondes, plus maybe an understanding girlfriend or two. Sisterhood!

BUT. But but but but. A film like this lives or dies based on our identification with the lead, and that gets at my real reason for posting the Silence clip above. Clarice Starling has had FBI training. But she is inexperienced, and when she comes up against genuine danger, she is terrified. And we are terrified with her.

Jill is even less experienced, but never once did I sense that kind of desperation coming off of her. Never once did my stomach tighten as I shared her panic over the deadly passage of time. Never once did I feel much of anything, really.

Once that identification fails, other things become more noticeable. The silly plot mechanics. Let's see. Our crazy, armed suspect just chatted up a hardware store owner, then bolted. I know - let's not ask the guy if he knows where she's going. The bloodless direction. And most of all, the unbelievably gutless ending. I like a film to have the courage of its crazy convictions, even if they're fake-crazy convictions.

Reader rating: No stars

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

A Tale of Two Trailers

Next Article

Crazy Dog People

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader