The film starts with various police and forensics officers investigating the wreckage of a police precinct. Among the casualties, the police find a message written on a wall in blood. But what does it all signify? Taking us back in time to 4 am of the same day, we see Rebecca (Abbie Cornish) waking up in an interrogation room at a police precinct, feeling disoriented and unsure of what’s going on. Detective Moon (Moon Bloodgood) enters the room and informs Rebecca that she was arrested for a hit-and-run crime that took place around 2:00 am. Rebecca denies the claims and starts to explain the events of the night before. After sharing that she went to a bar alone, consuming large amounts of alcohol and meeting a man, Rebecca begins to realise the gravity of the situation and how her story supports her reported crimes. When Rebecca asks to use the restroom, she encounters Detective Avery (Laz Alonso), Moon’s partner, who informs her that she’s not the only one being questioned about the hit-and-run. Despite her insistence that she’s innocent and might have been drugged and framed, the interrogation continues. Rebecca soon becomes suspicious of the detectives and her surroundings and is determined to uncover the truth about what’s happening.
Detained can best be described as a thriller with various twists and turns throughout. The film was directed by Felipe Mucci, whose previous work behind the camera includes Two Deaths of Henry Baker from 2020. It’s worth noting that Felipe is also one of the film’s writers.
The film’s most significant praise point is the engaging mystery that leaves audiences with a desire to see how the ending concludes. While various twists and reveals are made throughout, most are highly predictable. The final reveal itself is disappointing and predictable. It’s sadly too apparent what the reveal will be from the first act, making the conclusion more eye-roll-worthy than exciting and jaw-dropping. Many scenes throughout also felt familiar, such as when various bad guys turn on each other. The film feels a lot like The Usual Suspects, where a group of leading characters discover that a nasty villain lurks among them. Naturally, there is a level of deception and trickery continually at foot.
I felt that Abbie Cornish delivered a satisfactory performance in the movie. Laz Alonso, who played Detective Avery, provided a more robust and compelling performance that brought a sense of enjoyment to the screen. His portrayal felt fitting and convincing. The other supporting performances were also fine, but the dialogue sometimes felt slightly cheesy or unfitting. In terms of direction and setting, I loved the location and general look of the film, and found the filming to be primarily acceptable and enjoyable. However, there were some odd moments when the camera was shaky for no apparent reason, which I found off-putting and distracting.
Overall, Detained has a satisfactory storyline that contains a lot of predictability. The movie starts strong with a mystery, but if you’ve seen films like The Usual Suspects, this will soon feel familiar and become less exciting. Most performances, including those from the lead, Abbie Cornish, are fine, but Laz Alonso’s performance is particularly compelling, surprising, and enjoyable. The camera work is generally good, but some shaky and unfocused moments are distracting. It’s a decent thriller, not overly intense. Still, it hooks the viewers enough from the beginning to keep them interested till the end, despite the significant reveal being too obvious and somewhat childish.
5.5/10
2nd July 2024
Written by Peter Walkden
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