Review by Bob Greenberger
Filmmakers always sound fascinating during their commentary tracks or “making of” featurettes. They have lofty ambitions for their movies and its always disappointing when the story they talk about proves more interesting than the finish film itself.
Such is the case with the thriller Not Forgotten, out this week on DVD from our pals at Anchor Bay Entertainment. Written by Tomás Romero and Dror Soref and directed by Soref, its atmospheric and has tremendous potential but remains largely uninvolving and winds up far more predictable than it should be.
Starring Simon Baker, the DVD release is playing up his name now that he is a major star thanks to the success of his CBS series The Mentalist. When the film was released very briefly in January, he was just another actor with Paz Vega and Claire Forlani the better recognized names.
Baker plays Jack Bishop, father to adolescent Toby (Chloe Moretz), in a Texas border town. They both miss Katie, wife and mother, but have made a new life with Amaya (Vega) and things seem perfectly normal until Toby is kidnapped while at soccer practice.
The police and FBI have few clues to work with but are dogged in their hunt while Jack and Amaya grieve. However, as the investigation continues, Jack’s artifice begins to crumble and his true character stands exposed. While he returns to his roots to seek his daughter, his past comes back to haunt him and indelibly mark Toby.
The Mexican occult themes feel superficial and much remains unexplained which proves frustrating. This could have been a really creepy element added to the standard child kidnapping tale but its superficiality spoils the experience.
Neither Jack nor Amaya are well delineated characters and Soref doesn’t seem to know how to draw out nuanced performances from his stars. As a result, you don’t feel sympathy for anyone but poor Toby, whose voiceover narration comes and goes too infrequently to be a useful storytelling device.
The sum is far less than the potential inherent in all the pieces so be wary when you buy or rent this film. The standard DVD looks fine although the sound is low while the transfer to Blu-ray is just so-so rather than truly crisp and impressive. Both editions comes with just three extras: the commentary track that shows what the unrealized intentions were from Soref and Romero; Not Forgotten: Behind the Scenes is the short and not terribly informative “making of” featurette and the original trailer.
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