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DVD Review


DVD cover

Abandoned

 

Starring: Brittany Murphy, Dean Cain, Mimi Rogers and Peter Bogdanovich
Scanbox Entertainment
RRP: £12.99
SCBX2050
Certificate: 12
Available 13 June 2011


Mary Walsh, a high-ranking bank executive woman, takes her boyfriend to hospital for routine out-patient surgery. She is advised to return an hour later, but when she does so there is no sign of him. After waiting another couple of hours in reception, she begins to ask questions - only to be told there is no computer record for him or his appointment (computer says No!), and no one has seen him. When Mary becomes distressed and irate, the hospital officials discover that she is on strong anti-depressants, and have her referred to the resident psychiatrist. But is she really delusional, or is there something sinister taking place? Time is running out, and Mary has no idea who she can trust...

This is the last appearance of Brittany Murphy before her untimely death and, although initially much slower to react to her situation than most people in reality would be, her performance is utterly convincing. The story is well-paced and moody, with incidental music which wouldn’t be out of place in an early John Carpenter movie. A special mention must go to the detective who, just like every other fictional plain clothes policeman, has problems. He has been ordered by his doctor to take it easy, but it doesn’t stop him running around (off-screen, at least) every floor and wing of the hospital.

Without giving the game away, the plot heads off in an alternative direction in the final quarter. At this point it turns into a more mainstream crime drama/runaround and, for me, lost its edge. The fun of guessing who is genuine and who is in on the caper is suddenly taken away. Along with the fact there are no extras on the disc, it’s a shame, because otherwise this is a very solid piece - small scale and claustrophobic.

7

Ty Power

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