DERAILED BY PEG ALOI

100 MINUTES | ENTERTAINMENT + FLAGSHIP + PROVIDENCE PLACE 16 + SHOWCASE

From Swedish director Mikael Håfström (Evil) comes this predictable but nicely acted thriller. Clive Owen’s Charles is an advertising exec who allows fellow commuter Lucinda (Jennifer Aniston) to pay his fare in the midst of a hectic morning. A flirtation develops, and Charles reveals that his wife is cold and his daughter ill. The two find themselves in a seedy hotel where a random attack by a thug (Vincent Cassel) initiates a vicious spiral that threatens to destroy their lives. All, of course, is not as it seems, and Charles delves into his dark side to protect what’s his. Aniston is luminous and convincing; Owen, a gifted actor who’s usually miscast, smolders sexily. Rappers Xzibit and RZA plus Giancarlo Esposito round out the cast, but Cassel’s the hot ticket here. And though not every plot twist will come as a shock, this titillating ride is no train wreck, either.