Touchstone and Beyond: "Abandon"
Feature Presentation: Abandon
Cast of Characters
- Katie Holmes as Katie Burke
- Benjamin Bratt as Wade Handler
- Charlie Hunnam as Embry Larkin
- Zooey Deschanel as Samantha
Elevator Pitch
Katie Burke is on the cusp of graduating from college, when her old boyfriend Embry Larkin starts to reappear. Long vanished, the police led by Det. Wade Handler reopens the case of what happened to Larkin in hopes of closing the cold case and bringing some peace to Katie.
As the days go on, Katie becomes terrified by the lurking Embry. He was violent with her, and Katie worries that he could harm her, if not kill her. Wade spends his time following old clues and starts to realize that the evidence he has been presented with doesn’t add up.
When Wade finds Katie in an abandoned college hall, having been chased there by Embry, Wade soon learns that there is more happening with this story than what he was told. The only problem for Wade is, can he solve the case before he becomes a target too?
The Orson Welles Award of Brilliance
I like Katie Holmes in this film. Holmes finally gets a chance to break out of her good girl motif from Dawson’s Creek and she gets the center stage to shine in her talents. Holmes makes Katie a compelling and easy-to-fall-for character that any viewer would be cheering on. How Katie Holmes brings the change to her character is well executed and she doesn’t get enough credit for her acting ability.
Benjamin Bratt is terrific as Wade. He’s conflicted, damaged, and ultimately trying to fulfill the oath of his job, while also falling for Katie. It’s easy for anyone to fall under her spell, and Bratt is phenomenal in the role. Wade would be a throwaway character for many actors, but Bratt makes him a real whole human, that is beyond just dialogue on a page. As much as I felt for Katie, Bratt makes Wade a character we care more about.
It’s been a while since I found a movie that was set on a college campus that felt real and had danger that was not supernatural or malevolent evil. This genuine, and sometimes the evil that is real, or could be real, is far more terrifying than ghosts.
The Alan Smithee Award of Anonymity
I love Fred Ward. However, he could have used more screen time to flesh out his Lieutenant Slayton. Ward is a compelling actor that was unfortunately relegated to the side of the movie and not given enough screen time.
Production Team
- Directed by Stephen Gaghan
- Produced by Paramount Pictures / Spyglass Entertainment / Touchstone Pictures
- Written by Stephen Gaghan
- Release Date: October 18, 2002
- Budget: $25 million
- Domestic Box Office Gross: $10,727,683
- Worldwide Box Office Gross: $12,302,219
I Know Their Name
Melanie Lynskey as Mousy Julie. Fans of hers will recognize her anywhere, but Lynskey really hit the stratosphere of Pop Culture thanks to her role in The Last of Us.
Deep Dive Behind the Scenes
- The Catalonian Film Festival gave Stephen Gaghan a nomination for Best Film.
- The movie had an opening weekend gross of just over $5 million in the #7 spot.
- Apparently, Embry’s surname was supposed to be Langan, and if you pay close enough attention in the film, every time someone says Larkin, you can tell that it was dubbed over the Langan.
- The movie is loosely adapted from the book Adam’s Fall by Sean Desmond.
- Apparently, Edward Norton was contractually obligated to appear in two more films for Paramount. After the massive success of Primal Fear, Norton was offered the Wade Handler role in this film but opted to film The Italian Job instead. He did no press for that film because he only made it or else he would be brought to court.
- Stephen Gaghan made his directorial feature with Abandon.
- Ed Zwick was originally planning to direct this film but switched to the role of producer instead.
- After Lakeshore Entertainment put the international rights to this film in turnaround, Spyglass Entertainment, and Touchstone through Buena Vista picked up the distribution rights.
- There is a major mistake during the AA meeting. Wade gives his full name, and that is not how it is done at those support meetings. There is supposed to be an element of anonymity.
- The reviews for the film are incredibly negative.
Bill’s Spicy Take
Katie Holmes is not given enough credit for her acting. Sadly, she was never able to shake off the persona of Joey, and when she married Tom Cruise, she lost any chance at being taken seriously for her work.
Oscar Thoughts
(These rankings are awarded based on my love for Hitchcock films)
{Frenzy Award-Skip this Film, Torn Curtain Award-Desperate for Something to Watch, For the Birds-A Perfect Film for Any Device, Rear Window Award- You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen because this film is cinema.}
While it’s not a true produced Touchstone Pictures film, Abandon harkens back to the late 80’s and 90’s thrillers that Touchstone produced in multitude. There is something about the film that says it belongs in the Disney film library.
Katie Holmes is great, and after watching the film again from when I first rented it at Blockbuster so many years ago, it holds up and is quite compelling. It’s easy to fall into the narrative, and sooner than later you will get to the end and be surprised by the climax.
From my own feelings, Abandon gets the For the Birds Award. This is a great film for any device and would make an excellent distraction as you commute on public transportation.
Coming Attractions
Next week, a look back at Just Visiting.