Parents' Guide to Unlocked

Remarkable only because it casts a woman in a traditionally male role, this stagnant thriller is dull and convoluted, alternating between numbing exposition and stale, creaky action scenes. It's shocking that director Michael Apted made this; he's a 40-year veteran with memorable films like Coal Miner's Daughter, Gorky Park, and Thunderheart on his resume, as well as entries in the James Bond and Narnia franchises. With Unlocked, it seems like he's asleep ... or doesn't care at all. The movie's supposed "surprise twists" are lazily doled out, and the scenes appear to have been assembled in a kind of random order, based on genre formulas.

Veterans Toni Collette, Douglas, and John Malkovich chew the scenery with some enthusiasm -- especially Malkovich -- almost as if no one was directing them. A weirdly miscast Bloom has already drawn harsh criticism for his wobbly accent. But Rapace's role is the biggest shame; her character seems like it was written for a male and not changed much, or at all, for her. It's not unique in any way; she just runs and jumps and hits and shoots. This might have been the start of a new franchise, but instead it's a sad disappointment.