Diane Lane's film about Internet criminals is a display of gratuitious violence yet lacks suspense.

Rachel Grice

In a time when computers and the Internet control almost every aspect of life, there is always the potential that someone, somewhere is watching and waiting - for you.

Law enforcement has done its job well, tracing and stopping these cyber-stalkers. Until now.

Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) is an FBI agent in the cyber-crimes division whose job is to track down criminals on the Internet.

But she soon realizes that someone who doesn't want to be found and has the skill to remain untraceable can stay hidden.

"Untraceable" starts out promising, almost reminiscent of television shows such as "Numb3rs" and "Without a Trace," but eventually takes a turn for the worse.

A serial killer is targeting his victims online and broadcasting their deaths live on the site Kill with Me. It is the FBI's job to catch him before he kills again.

But what television crime dramas have succeeded in depicting in 45 minutes, "Untraceable" fails to deliver in twice that time.

The plot lacks the suspense of the "whodunnit" mystery, while failing in its attempt to convey the thrill of the hunt.

The film's plot is relatively flat. There are no real twists to keep viewers on the edge of their seat: a huge disappointment from the thrill-ride promised in the trailer. Watching the trailer proved to be more interesting and spellbinding than the movie itself - and certainly cheaper than the ticket.

The fact that the audience has seen the face of the murderer before the authorities know who he is only heightens the frustration when the cops fail to capture him.

As part of the psychopathic plot of serial killer Owen Reilly (Joseph Cross), the more people who log on to his website, the faster his victims die.

If the FBI aimed to dissuade the American public from logging on to witness the brutal murders of their fellow citizens, why does the film contain so much footage of the actual deaths?

The violence is gratuitous and unnecessary, and the presentation of death sticks with the viewer like a vivid nightmare, clinging like a thick, dank darkness; there is a palpable heaviness upon viewers leaving the theater.

The only thing that saves the film from complete disaster is Cross' portrayal of the serial killer. His performance as a psychotic killer is so convincing that his foreboding presence leaves a chill in your spine.

As he stands among a crowd of people watching Marsh and her team enter and search a house, he appears in stark contrast to the innocent bystanders around him.

While the crowd wonders in anticipation, Reilly peruses the scene with a sly smile that taunts the unaware investigators to catch him ... if they can.

Even though his vengeful motives are somewhat understandable and the punishment he delivers is fit for the perceived crime, he is one villain for whom sympathy is impossible. His sick, twisted mentality brings focus to similar individuals who exist offscreen.

Could there really be people who feel the way Cross' character does and are capable of carrying out similar crimes? The answer is a resounding yes.

There are even those who, as the chat room connected to "Kill with Me" suggests, get a sick thrill out of watching strangers die.

"You know that if people weren't logging on to watch you die, you'd be sitting in a pool of water," Reilly tells one of his victims.

Cross' performance outshines any of his co-stars' and the film leaves something to be desired in the way of acting and plot.

Lane has flashes of brilliance, but disappoints.

It's as though the sobriety of the subject has infused the actors with a detrimental acting handicap.

Much of the plot is implausible.

No one is truly untraceable, especially from the federal government.

If the perpetrator posed that big of a threat, the FBI would have done more to discourage the public from logging onto the website.

The last word on "Untraceable:" If crime dramas are your genre, stick to television for now.http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2008/01/24/Lifestyle/CyberCrime.Thriller.Fails.To.Put.The.Audience.On.Edge-3166090.shtml