It’s nice to see a film hold up years later. The premise of a wife disappearing and probably kidnapped is even more frightening to consider now that I’m married. Watching Kurt Russell’s level of panic escalate had a similar effect on me. The mystery is so well-handled – especially in casting all the speaking roles with familiar bad guy character actors – that it’s a shame they give the game away as early as they do.
The rest is perfectly fine too, with some great moments of suspense that earn the label Hitchcockian. It’s a bit more action oriented than The Master’s work, but would still be excellent material for him to play with. (It would be the best script DePalma ever had.) While there are enough trucks and guns to evoke Mad Max, the tone is suspense first and stunts second, though at the climax they’re both doing some amazing stuff. This crowd pleaser caps off with one of the all time great ‘go-f**k-yourself’ reaction shots.
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