The Betrayed

January 3rd, 2008







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The Betrayed

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Plot
The story follows a young woman as she's put through a psychological journey under the thumb of a mysterious figure who suspects her husband of stealing millions from a crime syndicate.

Release Year: 2008

Rating: 5.9/10 (856 voted)

Director: Amanda Gusack

Stars: Melissa George, Oded Fehr, Christian Campbell

Storyline
After a car crash, Jamie, 30, comes to, locked in a room at a factory. Her son, a diabetic, is missing. A man wearing a ski mask comes into the room and tells her that she must help him find her husband who has stolen millions from his boss. He says her husband is a killer and a drug trafficker. Jamie is certain it's a mistake. Her captor insists she help him or lose her son. He brings her audio tapes made in their apartment demanding she figure out how her husband was communicating with an accomplice. She has only 12 hours before she and her son will die. Can she force herself to believe that she has been betrayed - and then what? There's no way out, yet she resolves to save her son.

Cast:
Melissa George - Jamie
Oded Fehr - Voice / Alek
Christian Campbell - Kevin
Alice Krige - Falco
Connor Christopher Levins - Michael (as Connor Levins)
Donald Adams - Shuffle / Rathe
Scott Heindl - Chase
Kevan Kase - Officer Gene
Andrew Wheeler - Officer Davis
Blaine Anderson - Officer Wild
Patrick Keating - Swiss
Phillip Mitchell - Young Henchman
Ken Tremblett - Hader
Douglas Chapman - Henchman (as Doug Chapman)

Release Date: 3 Jan 2008

Filming Locations: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office Details

Budget: $3,500,000 (estimated)

Goofs:
Continuity: Just before the police officer arrives the first time, Jaime uses her wedding ring to cut through the plastic zip-tie on her wrist, and then shoves the ring and zip-tie down the water drain. Later in the movie, when her husband comes back and is trying to talk her into giving him the money, Jamie is wearing her wedding ring again.

Quotes:
[first lines]
Officer Wild: This is officer 11653. Officer 11653, Philly PD, reporting motor vehicle accident. It's a late model sedan traveling south-bound.
dispatcher: Location?
Officer Wild: Approximately 6 miles off the Cranson back roads. Closest mile marker is 115. Looks like the vehicle was hit hard from the rear. On the approach I see severe back-end damage on the left-hand side. No second vehicle, possible hit and run
dispatcher: How many injured?
Officer Wild: Checking for victims now.
dispatcher: Awaiting response officer 11653, awaiting response. How many injured?
[...]



User Review

Keeps you captive for the entire time.

Rating: 8/10

I am not familiar with any of director Amanda Gusack's other work but, after seeing this fantastic little thriller, I hope she gives us a few more decent movies in future because she deserves to get at least a little bit of notice.

Melissa George stars as the woman kidnapped and held captive after an engineered car crash that sees both her and her young son (a diabetic) in the clutches of some very bad men. Her son is being held in a separate room and his safety is tied to Melissa's character actually helping the baddies figure out where her husband has gone with a whole load of money that they claim he has ripped off of them. But is her husband capable of such a double life? Can she find out information that will keep her son safe? There is more to find out as the plot develops but it's never less than interesting.

What was so impressive about this little thriller is the way it began with it's basic concept and then didn't try to become anything else along the way. There are twists and turns tied into the plot line but at a time when every other little film like this would seem to morph into a sub-Saw movie or a Tarantino-esquire, smartass, blackly comic outing this film resolutely sticks to what it is: an enjoyable, lean thriller centred around a woman confused and scared who's only aim is to ensure the survival of her son.

Melissa George is excellent in the lead role but everyone does well with their screen time, including the likes of Oded Fehr, Donald Adams, Christian Campbell and the regal Alice Krige. As the film centres on the relationship between captive and captor it's almost a two-hander set in one place for the majority of the time but the movie never feels too stagey or limited with this, you're just far too busy being kept on the edge of your seat with tension and revelations in a little gem that is perfectly paced and well-executed.

See this if you like: Panic Room, Cohen & Tate, Taken.





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