If ever a movie was undermined by its packaging, it's this formulaic thriller about a resourceful battered wife and the brutal husband who won't let her go. Nicholas Kazan's screenplay invests most of its energy in heroine Slim's (Jennifer Lopez) attempts to elude her sadistic spouse, and director Michael Apted demonstrates admirable proficiency in staging suspense sequences bristling with imminent menace. But the entire promotional campaign is driven by the last 20 minutes, in which Slim becomes a lean, mean fighting machine and kicks the bastard's ass. Who can blame audiences for tapping their feet through the pro forma subterfuges and desperate tears that precede ...
Released:
2002
Rated:
PG-13
Length:
114 mins