Jennifer Marsh is an FBI agent in the bureau’s cybercrime division. On a typical night shift she poses as an average Internet user to track down online fraud. Things heat up when an anonymous tip puts her team on the track of a website streaming live video of a small kitten being tortured. Further obstructing the investigation, the mysterious perpetrator is using advanced techniques to hide the location of the website and prevent the FBI from shutting him down. The tension in Untraceable takes on a whole new dimension when the killer escalates to human victims and time becomes critical.

Diane Lane is the driving force behind the action in Untraceable and fortunately for us, she’s a joy to watch on screen in the role of Special Agent Marsh. She convincing as a tech-savvy law enforcement officer. Assisting her as her cybercrime partner is Agent Griffin Dowd, played by Colin Hanks, son of award-winning actor and director Tom Hanks. Rounding out the investigative team is Billy Burke as Detective Eric Box, a local police officer who acts as the team’s field investigator as they track down the killer.

To a degree, Untraceable is a formulaic crime thriller. The unique spin put on the story is the method the killer uses. In essence, he sets up the scenario for the murder and starts streaming video on his website. The more people watch, the faster the victim dies. If no one watched, nothing would happen. It’s an interesting commentary on the voyeuristic nature of our society, given the rise in popularity of reality-based shows and online video. The message in the movie is that watching makes you an accessory to the crime.

Let me also say that I did cringe a bit when I saw the trailer for this film. With a background in computers, it’s tough to find a movie that revolves around technology that doesn’t make serious gaffes. I was happy, then, that for the most part this turned out not to be issue here. There’s enough tech to create a sense of plausibility but it’s not overwhelming. I did chuckle at the prominent product placement of Windows Vista as the operating system for the cybercrime unit. I’m not sure what Microsoft was thinking as, in the course of the action, these systems are compromised by the killer. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Overall Untraceable is a fairly solid thriller. It has a few flaws—for example, the identity of the killer is revealed too early, in my opinion—but still I enjoyed it. The convoluted methods the killer uses on his victims are reminiscent of the Saw movies, though the focus is mostly on the investigative side. I don’t think fans of this type of movies will be disappointed.

Untraceable is rated R for “some prolonged sequences of strong gruesome violence, and language.” The main issue here is the death scenes. Some of them are disturbing even though not as graphic as they could have been. This is not at all a movie suitable for younger viewers.

Courtesy of a local publicist, Michael attended a promotional screening of Untraceable.