Derailed

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

It's fast, slick, stupid, violent fun and, despite the cynically high body count, without serious intention in this world.

Chicago Tribune Allison Benedikt

It's a cheap thrill, with twists that later seem evident and foreshadowing that often seems obvious, with a B-movie look and vibe reminiscent of the much tighter "Jagged Edge."

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Derailed has a great setup, a good middle passage and some convincing performances. Then it runs off the tracks.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

A movie so hysterical it worked best as a black comedy.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

A tawdry, predictable hunk of movie headcheese, and I still had a pretty good time with it.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

For starters, everything's grimy and humorless in a way that infects even Aniston.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

James Siegel's best-selling thriller Derailed is a perfect commuter book that has become the most imperfect of movies.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The perky Aniston is both unflatteringly photographed and utterly unconvincing in the pivotal role of Lucinda, and overall the film has the oddly disconnected quality of '70s Euro-thrillers whose international casts spoke different languages on the set and were dubbed into conformity.

Film Threat Rick Kisonak

Gratuitously brutal, chronically preposterous, abysmally unoriginal, pretty much pointless and virtually 100% free of credible characters, Derailed represents career lows for its stars while marking an unpromising English language debut for its director.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

For some reason Derailed never fully engages our sympathies. I think that's because it's difficult to swallow Owen as anything other than eminently resourceful.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Watching this thriller is like drinking milk that's about to turn: it looks OK but smells a little dodgy.

Dallas Observer Bill Gallo

Villain? Great. Verdict? Average.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

Rapidly devolves into a pedestrian thriller in which almost nobody behaves in a recognizably human way.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Owen is all right as the harried husband whose relationship at home has turned frosty, but the essential heat between him and Aniston is missing. The actress succeeds in shedding her "Friends" persona, but there's something missing here, especially as things get knottier.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Stay home.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

The strapping Owen as a guy who can't handle himself and cutie-pie Aniston as a witchy woman? I don't think so. Talk about derailed.

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

This flaccid psychological thriller keeps spoiling its own surprise by constantly signaling the big plot twist.

Village Voice Laura Sinagra

Clive Owen proves he can just about save anything.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

A junky thriller that mistakes brute-strength plot twist, showy violence, and the against-type participation of Jennifer Aniston for earned excitement.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Every swing of its plot is preposterous, it stumbles to a trick climax that any regular moviegoer will figure out in the first 10 minutes, and the ending is so absurdly unmotivated that it plays like a slap in the face.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Jennifer Aniston brings a needed liveliness to Derailed, though not enough to go around.

Variety Justin Chang

This murky psychological suspenser manages the tricky feat of being as predictable as it is finally preposterous.

Empire Anna Smith

There's a good film in here somewhere, but it's buried under a messy structure and unclear direction.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Much of the second half is spent waiting for the other shoe to drop, though you don't have to have 20/20 vision in order to see the big twist coming from miles away. Once it arrives, the film officially disembarks from reality with an over-the-top climax and denouement that play shamelessly to the bloodthirsty masses.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Tedious and predictable, it employs obvious situations and clichés instead of genuine suspense-building elements.

USA Today Mike Clark

Clumsy, miscast thriller.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Most painfully, the semi-alert Owen and the leaden Aniston go together like sausages and syrup.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Was the Swedish director, Mikael Hafstrom, taking revenge on the American star system?

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Directed by Swedish filmmaker Mikael Håfström, who's clearly new at the genre, this aptly named movie is riddled with obvious parallels, crude moral talking points, a script so awful it's practically avant-garde, and a vain attempt at comic relief by RZA.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Riddled with holes and undeveloped characters, and marred by lurching rhythms that may reflect some triage editing, so it's hard to see what Mr. Hafstrom brings to this film other than a murky palette.

Premiere Peter Debruge

Swedish director Mikael Håfström's Derailed makes "Fatal Attraction" look positively subtle, while mustering none of the nuance or moral complexity (not to mention the sexual chemistry) of "Unfaithful."

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

Poor casting is compounded by a ludicrous script.

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

Derailed seems to want badly to be described as contemporary noir. But it's just pitch-dumb.

New York Post Kyle Smith

Train wreck.