Untraceable (2008) Movie Discussion

UNTRACEABLE
/UNTRACEABLE/

DIRECTOR: Gregory Hoblit
CAST: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross
RUNTIME: 100 min.
YEAR: 2008
COUNTRY: USA
SYNOPSIS: "A brutal wake-up call for modern society and the media outlets that thrive on sensationalist violence!

FBI agent Jennifer Marsh gets sucked into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a serial killer. He knows exactly how people work—they have this sick thirst for horror—so he live-streams his murders online. The more people tune in to the site, the more violent the deaths become.

Actually, let me be more precise: the higher the view count, the faster the victim dies. It's a race against the clock.
😳

The movie's official website even had an online game attached to it.
😁
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/untraceable/

Look, the film is okay. It's watchable enough if you have nothing else to do.
👍

That gay guy they initially suspected? Honestly, he was way too cute for this gritty stuff.
😍

The concept itself is solid, though there are a few scenes that are honestly pretty revolting. That kid responsible for the killings comes off as a total psychopath, and honestly, that final scene was just so overly sentimental it made me want to gag.

Nancy Watson86 said:The concept works, though there are some gross scenes, plus the kid doing the killing looks like an actual psychopath enough, but that final scene was just pure, unadulterated melodrama.

Is this supposed to be some kind of teen horror flick?

I'm thinking about checking this out. Is it actually any good?

He’s not even a teenager; he’s more like college age, haha.
As far as thrillers go, it isn't half bad—there are some decent torture scenes—but as a complete film, it feels a bit unpolished.
Still, it’s not some heavy, depressing shit that you can't sit through.

Conceptually, the premise works, even if I’ve only caught the trailer. It feels like there's enough meat on the bone to develop into something decent... but honestly, I can already see a massive list of blunders coming. Just looking at the title alone, it's a mess. Hide my IP 😛 😍 👎

Dennis Doyle3 said:Is this some kind of teen horror flick?

No.
The killer is well over 19, and thank God there wasn't a single kid in the theater when I saw it.
🙏😁

Carol Hughes10 said:I’m thinking about watching this. Is it any good?

It's worth it.
😳
If you're into thrillers, you'll dig it.
The opening hits the spot—thunder, rain pouring down while the logo fades in... sets the mood perfectly for this kind of flick.

Anthony Bailey said:is
😳
if you're a fan of thrillers, you'll probably dig this one...
I loved how it opened—just the sound of thunder and pouring rain right as the logo hits. Really sets the mood for this kind of flick...

The movie was okay if you just have some time to kill... but it didn't really do anything for me...

There are a few moments where it tries way too hard to be deep, and honestly, that was enough to ruin the whole experience for me...

But hey, an idea is an idea, I guess...

Is this just going to be the same old mess we saw over at Fear.com?

Amanda Ruiz90 said:Is this just another rerun of that whole mess with fear.com?

No.
In that movie, they kill the people who log on.
Here, the ones logging on are the ones doing the killing.
☕

Just a movie to watch... honestly, nothing more than that. It’s not going to change your life or anything, and I suspect that in just a few months, you probably won't even remember the specifics of what actually went down on screen. Why am I saying that? Well, I suppose it’s because it just doesn't leave a lasting impression on you, you know? It isn't particularly overwhelming or anything. It’s really just one of those films you put on when you have some downtime, and then that's that.

I do think the concept itself is quite fascinating, though... it's a pretty clever idea, actually. It really taps into the truth about human curiosity—and maybe even our darker, more morbid impulses, too. Because, if you think about it, if something like this were to happen in America today, I honestly believe everyone involved would be dead long before the events of the movie even unfolded. I mean, people would absolutely crash the servers just trying to get access to a site like that.

If nothing else, the whole premise feels like the twisted brainchild of some complete psychopath, and I can't help but feel like it's probably just a matter of time before something similar actually happens in the real world.

Honestly, I don't think this could ever actually happen in the real world.
We’d track down the source of that video stream in no time at all.
😳

That was honestly pretty bad... seriously. People were actually walking out of the theater like thirty minutes before the credits even rolled. I could've taken those $5.00 and spent them on something actually worthwhile or even just a bit smarter
.

A bunch of picky elitists, if you ask me.
😛

rustytinker81 said:Total bust... people were walking out of the theater like thirty minutes before the credits even rolled... I could've spent those $5.00 much better elsewhere

Honestly, I’m not buying that.
Just because you personally didn't vibe with it doesn't mean everyone did—I actually stuck it out until the end... Untraceable definitely isn't the kind of flick that makes people bolt halfway through. You're exaggerating.

Maybe the ending could've been handled differently though—what really bugged me was:

Spoiler

this seasoned agent is on the bridge, right? And she just casually sits back down in the dry area when it was super obvious the killer was gonna jump her right there.
[end spoiler]
That part definitely needed a rewrite...

Aside from the casting, the lead actress's car choice was a huge win... a Saab😍

It’s actually a decent way to kill some time...
If you've got a DVD or a digital file playing, just hit pause and scroll through the killer's website chat 😁

As I’ve mentioned before, the core concept here is solid, but the execution? It just falls flat... There was one sequence where the soundtrack really hit me with those dark, gritty vibes reminiscent of Se7en, which I suspect was exactly what the production team was aiming for. And while they definitely captured that specific atmosphere, let's be honest—without a truly gripping premise to back it up, this movie doesn't even come close to standing in the same league as Se7en. Then there’s the casting, which felt completely off to me; the performances were underwhelming, especially the boss, who happens to be white. Actually, looking at the whole cast, it strikes me as incredibly odd that there isn't a single Black actor in the entire lineup... feels a bit strange, doesn't it?

granitehound19 said:Like I’ve said before, the concept is solid, but the execution? Total disaster. The score actually reminded me of Se7en at one point—which is probably what was playing on loop in the heads of everyone working on this thing. The whole vibe reeks of Se7en, but let’s be real: aside from a decent premise, this movie isn't even in the same league. And don't get me started on the casting. It's all over the place. Especially the boss, who happens to be white. Honestly, looking at the screen, I don't see a single Black actor... weird, right?

The movie is set in Portland, Oregon.
There aren't many people like that there.
☕

The movie isn't bad ( .torrent), though I wouldn't recommend seeing it in a theater under any circumstances. After a little while, I guess I just started expecting it to end.