Synopsis: A senior at an elite college (Katie Holmes), already under severe pressure to complete her thesis and land a prestigious job, must confront the sudden reappearance of her old boyfriend (Charlie Hunnam), after his two year, unexplained absence...

Now for the Zone's Eye View:

By Laura Alber

Director: Stephen Gaghan

Cast: Katie Holmes, Benjamin Bratt, Charlie Hunnam

While not a great thriller, "Abandon" is at least fun and does have plenty of twists and turns. I will also mention the cinematography was very well done. There were some interesting shots and colors used, and the editing fit the movie very well. This is not too surprising considering Abandon is directed by "Traffic" director Stephen Gaghan. Katie Holmes carried her part as the stressed out college senior very well, while Benjamin Bratt's character was never fully developed, leaving his performance lacking. 

Holmes plays Katie Burke, a college Senior facing final exams, an unfinished thesis and most recently, having to deal with frightening sightings of her boyfriend Embry (Charlie Hunnam) who has been missing for two years. Katie's emotional struggles stem from her childhood when her father left her when she was very young. She was then in a similar situation with Embry's disappearance. Because of this, she is reluctant to get close to any man. That is, until the hunky Detective Wade Handler is assigned to the missing persons case to find out if the wealthy Embry Larkin is dead or alive. Katie finds it easy to talk to Handler (Bratt) and turns to him when she begins seeing Embry who appears to be stalking her. These scenes are very well shot and very disturbing. 

The back-stories are very limited, especially Bratt's. We know he is/was ? a substance abuser, but we never quite know why, or if he still is, or anything. Although, his car is equipped with a Breathalyzer, which is confusing as well after we see him spit out the drink he "almost" had, he still flunks the test. Very thin. As for Katie's friends, they too are very limited in characterization. I guess most of this can be overlooked since the plot revolves around Katie, Handler and Embry. 

Handler doesn't seem to be much of a detective either, preferring to get information from students rather than Embry's rap sheets. You never see him actually follow up on a lead, instead he seems to be more interested in Katie. 

Thankfully, there are plenty of creepy moments and surprise twists to make this movie fun. All in all, thanks to the filming, Katie Holmes' acting and the twists, The Zone rates "Abandon" a 6 out of 10. 

DVD Features: 

-Commentary by writer/director Stephen Gaghan

-Theatrical trailer(s)

-The Making of Abandon

-Deleted and extended scenes with commentary