Parents' Guide to Last Seen Alive

Caught in two minds as to whether it wants to be a psychological thriller or an action-adventure, Brian Goodman's film never manages to get its story straight. Saving its Taken-like revenge rampage for the closing stages, Last Seen Alive still can't manage to create a sense of intrigue about any of its characters. Central to this is Butler's Will, who manages to be equal parts real estate developer, vigilante warrior, and super sleuth -- basically whatever the convoluted plot needs him to be in order to move things forward.

The flashback scenes of marital strife try to give us some indication of what sort of person Will is. But these are never linked to his life or work well enough for them to carry any weight. Likewise, the bad guys pretty much appear out of nowhere toward the end, half-borrowed from the first season of True Detective with their shotguns and rural meth lab. Butler does his best to sell the drama and the trauma of Will's situation. But he looks much more comfortable playing men whose missions make more sense, be it defending Sparta (300) or saving the President's skin in the Has Fallen series. Will's wife isn't the only thing missing in Last Seen Alive: it also needed a dose of originality, other than its bizarre suggestion that couples who survive kidnappings together, stay together.