i don’t have the most expertise when it comes to computer technicalities and circuitry but i have for more knowledge than your average thirty year old. i grew up in a generation that was raised with the internet, so when i hear things like “hacked into my wireless network,” i scoff and try to control my laughter. untraceable is an internet movie for thirty year olds.

this movie, is by no means, loathsome; in fact, i would rather watch it than the slew of other saw copycats. it is just that though: a copycat. the movie takes place in modern day portland, oregon. diane lane [unfaithful, hollywoodland] stars as a “cybercop,” a federal agent who utilizes the internet to catch criminals and bust frauds. her partner griffin is played by colin hanks [king kong, alone with her] and the unavoidable good cop role is taken up by billy burke [along came a spider, fracture].

the premise is basic: a serial killer is capturing victims and killing them in accordance with hits on his website. the fictional web address, ‘www.killwithme.com,’ is a live streaming video of the murderer as he kills his victims with various torture methods. he uses schadenfreude as his weapon and plays off the worlds tendency to view things that were once taboo, all capable due to the internet. eventually the killer, played by joseph cross [running with scissors, flags of our fathers], targets the ‘cybercops.’

now the film is slyly interjecting the message that america and it’s obsession with the internet is going to lead to sick and twisted hobbies; unfortunately, it already does. for our generation, my contemporaries, we chuckle and tease the flick because it’s such a stupid premise. but to everyone over, let’s say twenty five, they witness the atrocities of the movie and become objectively horrified at what the world has come to. please realize, the film is a hyperbole, a very extreme and violent exaggeration.

so not only does this tale portray the current epoch as cruel and deranged individuals but it also paints a ridiculous picture of cyberspace. with remarks like “his ip address it constantly changing” or the legendary “he hacked my car!” it only makes it easier to target this movie. if your techno privy, things like proxy’s help make sense of what can only be considered technobabble to all those incapable of using the computer. hacked my car? wow. the killer actually makes her windshield wipers turn on and off.

retarded.

there are, however, a few qualities that make the film tolerable. the setting has a considerable amount take place in broad daylight. any horror genre film that even attempts to slightly terrify people under the bright rays of our sun garners respect from me. day time is a security blanket for people as a whole. nothing bad can happen in the big bright open…can it? to challenge that preset way of thinking is always an admirable feature. the other respectable aspect are the torture methods. as gross as it sounds, they are completely original and unique and take a clever leaf from saw’s unavoidable book.

the performances are nothing sensational and lane shows her age more than ever. burke’s sexual tension with lane is never explored, an irritating subplot that is scarcely touched upon. the films rare attempts at humor are terrible but, overall, i was able to sit through it with a pinch of interest. the detective subtext introduced at the end is an interesting tie-in but too little too late. the director, gregory hoblit [fallen, frequency] does nothing extraordinary with a nothing but ordinary movie.

bottom line: it’s worth a rent. if you’re a nineties kid or a techie, it’s a laugh. if not, it’s a somewhat interesting storyline with bearable acting and nifty methods for murder.

the movie is comparable to: saw, fear dot com, captivity, the realization of just how old your parents are, embracing your youth and the fact that we grew up in a techno savvy era.