When her sister disappears, Jill is convinced the serial killer who kidnapped her two years ago has returned, and she sets out to once again face her abductor. Written by

Plot Synopsis:
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Jill Conway is a young Portland woman who lives with her sister, recovering alcoholic Molly. One year prior, Jill was kidnapped by a serial killer who abandoned her in a hole in the forest, where she found human remains. When her abductor descended into the hole to kill her, Jill was able to stab him with a bone and climb his rope and return to civilization. However, the police didn't find the hole and discovered that Jill had been committed to a psychiatric institution for several years after her parents' death. Believing that the abduction only happened in Jill's head, they closed the case.

One day, after returning home from work at a local diner, where she and her friend Sharon Ames are generously tipped by a regular customer about to move out of town, Jill finds Molly gone and is unable to reach her boyfriend, Billy. Knowing that Molly wouldn't leave the house with Jill absent and that she had an important test the following day, Jill becomes convinced that the man who took her has now captured Molly and heads to the police station to ask for help, but Sargent Powers and Detective Erica Lonsdale dismiss her claims and promise to look into the case after a few days, but Jill claims it will be too late then. Before she leaves, newcomer Detective Peter Hood pulls her aside and tells her he believes her, giving Jill his card in case she needs help.

Billy calls Jill and tells her that he hasn't heard from Molly, and that she didn't show up at the exam. Jill interrogates her neighbors and finds out a van with a locksmith's name parked in front of her house in the middle of the night and honked several times. Using the neighbors' description of the van, Jill finds the company it belongs to and heads there, where she questions the van's driver - who is also the company owner's son - about Molly's whereabouts. He claims to not know anything about it, and Jill feigns leaving in order to break into the van, where she finds a receipt for a hardware store and duct tape. She holds the driver at gunpoint and forces him to reveal that he allowed a stranger named "Digger" to rent the van the night before. Jill then leaves.

The locksmith's son reports this to the police, and Lieutenant Ray Bozeman orders Powers and Lonsdale to capture Jill, as she is a liability and has no permission to carry a gun. Hood tries to convince Jill to meet with him so he can help her, but she believes it to be a set-up so Powers and Lonsdale can arrest her and refuses. Meanwhile, Jill goes to the hardware store and learns from the owner that Digger's staying at a local rundown apartment named "The Royal Hotel". Jill heads there and learns from a neighbour his name is Jim Lapointe and breaks into his apartment, where she finds more duct tape, pet food (which she was given by her kidnapper), and matches from the diner where she works, the Lucky Star.

Jill visits Sharon and learns that Lapointe is the generous tipper from the night before. Sharon gives Jill his phone number and she leaves. On the way out, she's located by the police and chased to an alley, where she manages to escape and return to Sharon's house, where Sharon begrudgingly agrees to let Jill borrow her car. Jill then calls Lapointe, who confirms he's her abductor and implies he knows where Molly is. He orders her to go into Forest Park to find out the truth. Jill ignores the pleas of Powers and Lonsdale, who find her through Billy, and ventures into the woods, where she eventually finds the hole.

Lapointe emerges from a small alcove he dug nearby and throws Jill inside the hole, intending to kill her with a knife he carved out of the piece of bone Jill used to escape, but she draws her gun and shoots him in the chest.

Jill climbs back up and forces Lapointe to reveal that Molly was under their house the whole time, and he only used her to lure Jill into a trap. She then pours kerosene down the hole soaking Lapointe and throws a lantern left for her into the hole and burns Lapointe alive before returning to the city, where she reunites with Molly and tells her Lapointe is dead. Jill then lies to the police and tells them it was all in her imagination. They leave, and shortly thereafter, Jill sends an anonymous tip of where to find the hole, as well as pictures of Lapointe's victims that she had found near the hole. Bozeman calls Powers and tells him to re-open the case

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Jimmy Collins from United States
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I think Gone is a film that is pretty much destined for bad reviews, which is a shame because I actually found it quite good, the story is about a girl who was abducted a year ago, but escaped her captor, she goes on living day to day life with the help of mess to deal with the trauma, that is until her captor comes back for her and takes her sister instead, a game of cat and mouse ensues and the viewer is taken on a fast paced cracking thrill ride. Yes there are problems with Gone, for starters the script is slightly underwritten and some story lines are totally forgotten about, particularly some of the story lines surrounding the supporting characters, and it has a bit of a 90's b-grade thriller vibe to it, but for what it's worth it also has a lot of good things about it too. The central performance by Amanda Seyfried is a good one, she is very convincing as the determined heroine of the story, the cinematography is very fitting to the story, the cold and damp setting of Portland is wonderfully captured by the camera, the pace is fast as a bullet, each scene is quick and doesn't drag on and it has some genuinely scary and tense scenes, particularly towards the end.

Some reviews I have read say that Ananda Seyfried deserves better roles, yes she deserves great roles because she is a supremely talented young actress but I really don't see what's so bad about this role, it's a strong female character, I think people may only want to see her in romantic comedies and that's it. Speaking of Ms Seyfried, she gets better and better in every film I see her in, she has a very natural acting style, she never seems forced, everything seems very natural for her, I look forward to seeing where her career goes.

Gone is a real middle ground kind of thriller, it's not a teen slasher and it's not a more mature adult thriller either, it kind of takes what's great about both types and combines them into a highly entertaining movie that will have you guessing tight until the very end. My only criticism is just the abandoned story lines of the supporting characters, I dint know if it's lazy writing or what but for me I felt I was steered in a direction only to be left thinking, but all in all the movie is great, I would definitely watch it again.

Give it a go, I hope you enjoy, Amanda Seyfried is wonderful. :) excellent.

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BM Rao (bmrao1980) from United States
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I saw this one against the critics' recommendation at Rottentomatoes, and it was because of Amanda Seyfred, to be honest. She has those beautiful big blue eyes and blonde hair that one cannot look away from.

But after watching her in this movie, it is clear to me that she is much more than a pretty face, and she can carry a movie on her own.

I can see why the critics would hate it, though. The plot is overly simple, the cops have a cursory role, and none of the characters other than that of Amanda's are well-developed. And, the big 'confrontation' is dealt with as if the director wanted it out of the way as soon as possible.

But, to be honest, in retrospect, the film is about none of that. This is a suspense thriller, not a horror. There does not have to be a big confrontation, and there does not have to be jump shots. This is about the journey of the protagonist against all odds, and how she uses her alertness and her resourcefulness and her charm to get to the person she believes has her sister.

In this, it succeeds. I would watch this one again, and if a movie makes me think that, it has succeeded for me.

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Richard Reilly (FFman@comcast.net) from Colorado
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Gone proved to be a much different movie from what the trailer indicated. Under the veil of a cliché game of cat and mouse, Amanda Seyfried pulls of an incredibly difficult role by riding the line between insane and driven. The movie puts its entire success on keeping the audience guessing whether this could "all be in her head" or really is part of a sick plot. It succeeds in doing so on the shoulders of Amanda Seyfried.

Unfortunately, Gone built its own wall on the road to greatness. By keeping you guessing, the writer throws plenty of false hints and possible suspects. By doing so, the movie takes on the feel of the worn-out Hollywood thriller. Although this move may have been necessary, it means other aspects of the plot are seriously lacking. Characters are completely forgotten. The climax relies on a timed event that could not be planed. In the end, this thriller lacks all the elements to make it memorable.

Despite missing its mark, Gone is completely enjoyable. In many movies, I find myself evaluating the movie halfway through. That never happened. The tension maintained itself through the entirety of the movie. I found myself holding my breath, sitting on the edge of my seat, and wanting to scream, "Don't go in there!" This is how a thriller should work. I wish the amateur mistakes could have been removed. If that were done, this movie could have been great.

I must point out the politics of the movie. It was believable on most levels. The movie is set on the basis that a girl who has experience with PychCare will usually be treated like she is insane. This idea is done very well. The investigators do give her the time of day, but still appear to brush her off. As the movie progresses, it is fascinating to watch the investigators grow more worried about Seyfried with a gun rather than a missing girl. In the end, it is quite believable.

If you are in need of a good thriller, this is the movie to see. It stumbles, but will keep you guessing. There is no great advancements made in the genre, but that does not mean it is not worth seeing. When you put an actress in the lead who can keep you guessing, you will usually have a good thriller. Congratulations to Amanda Seyfried for getting out of her shitty movie slump.

reillyreviews.wordpress.com

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soulcraft from Los Angeles, United States
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I just went to the GONE premiere. I don't know the filmmakers. Got a ticket through a friend at Summit. Here's the deal: GONE is an expertly crafted and calibrated serial killer thriller, the kind of genre movie that is usually undermined by bad acting and silly scripting. But here everything works together very well. Amanda Seyfried is a convincing and beautiful lead; the supporting cast with Wes Bentley, Jennifer Carpenter and Michael Pare, is solid. The pace is relentless. The script is tight and cleverly constructed. The whole thing works; the scenes fly by; the direction and editing reinforce each other. I never looked at my watch. The movie is a bullet. GONE delivers.

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Mardon from Newfoundland
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Before going to see this movie I had read some really bad reviews. After seeing it, I can't understand why. I thought the movie was an enjoyable thriller. I thought Amanda Seyfried did great in her role. This was again in contrast to some of the reviews I had read. As far as I am concerned, if you want an excellent thriller that will provide 90 minutes or so of escapism, "Gone" will more than fill the bill. The single scene that 'annoyed' me a bit was a product placement for Aquafina water. A large bottle of Aquafina was on a nightstand in a bedroom. It seemed so out of place that it was an obvious paid placement.

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DAvid Nguyen from Canada
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Lately, the horror/thriller movies that are currently being released just lost it's suspenseful touch. Movies like "Shark night" is just an embarrassment. When I saw the trailer for "Gone" I thought it would have been the same thing. When I came out of the theater, my mind was blown away on how well the plot was and how Amanda Seyfried portrayed her role very well. There were a few poor scenes, and scenes that weren't really necessary, however the main plot was so intriguing I completely forgot about the negative parts of the scene. It's not one of those movies where it takes hours to get good. The plot runs by quickly, but long enough to keep you wanting more at the edge of your seat. I would definitely recommend this movie!!!

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thebestatwhathedoes
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This movie was well paced and well acted by Seyfried. I really enjoyed the "road trip" she takes trying to track down her target. She is slick in her conversations and smooth in her charms to converse with people and get whatever puzzle pieces they have to offer. I really like the mystery the movie conveys as it leads to the end. I really felt like the path could have lead to multiple characters in the story, and as you watch Seyfried's pace you are constantly asking yourself how much of the story is she capable of creating herself. I hope the score for this movie rises about the 5.6 it is at currently. Other movies float in this range and do not bring nearly as much to the table.

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(bob-rutzel-1) from United States
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Jill's (Amanda Seyfried) sister Molly is kidnapped as Jill was years ago. Detective Powers (Daniel Sunjata) doesn't believe her as he didn't believe her before because Jill could not come up with any viable evidence that she was kidnapped and escaped. He believes it was all in her head. Jill feels she cannot trust the police to help.

At first I thought (and hoped) I would be seeing a female version of a Mel Gibson character who knows no boundaries when a family member is taken. I was wrong. We see Jill doing the detective work that the police would normally do. She goes here and there and gathers clues getting closer and closer to the serial-killer kidnapper. The police are now in full pursuit of her because shots were fired and that is a violation as she had been in a mental hospital and owning a gun is a no no.

This held me because the suspense and tension were very good. And, what's not to like with Jill and those big Red Riding Hood eyes? (I would guess Amanda Seyfried will be forever known for that.) The entire cast performed well.

Two things: Jill's road trip to the forest where she was kept years ago has the story go full circle as we knew it would. We screamed and begged for her not to go there, but she didn't listen. And, where Molly was found was a bit of a stretch but for the twist to work it had to be this way.

However, all in all, this is pretty good even though you are convinced a Mel Gibson character won't show up. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity; No. Language: No.

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NatandBen from United States
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Just saw this movie before it was GONE from my town's movie theaters tomorrow. I love all types of films, including suspenseful psychological thrillers, and this one did not disappoint. I was already a fan of Amanda Seyfried, and her performance in this one was one of her best so far. This is a fast-paced movie that kept me guessing until the end about what was really going on, thanks to Amanda's terrific, edgy performance. The script was tightly written, sparing us any unnecessary story lines, but yet giving us a few questionable characters to wonder about. Nice direction, and the other actors contributed nicely to the mystery and the central question of reality vs. insanity.

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Tony Heck (cosmo_tiger@hotmail.com) from United States
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"He's back! He came back for me, broke into my house and took my sister because I wasn't there." When Jill (Seyfried) comes home from work to help her sister study she finds her missing. Convinced that the man that took her a few years ago has returned she goes to the cops. When they don't believe her she decides to track him down herself. This is another movie I had high expectations for based on the preview. This is not really an original idea but still seemed interesting. Amanda Seyfried was believable in this movie as a paranoid victim trying to prove she is right. The movie is tense in parts and frustrating in others and keeps you guessing all the way to the end. There was just something missing in this to make it really good. The plot is simple, almost too simple for a main stream movie like this one. This would have been a really good "Without A Trace" show or a "48 Hours Mystery" hour show though. It's still worth a watch. Overall, a good movie that could have been better if it added an extra element. Maybe a better ending would have also helped. I give it a B.

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AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Argentina:13 / Brazil:12 / Canada:14A (Ontario) / Germany:16 / Hong Kong:IIA / India:UA / Ireland:15A / Japan:G / Malaysia:P13 / Netherlands:12 / Philippines:PG-13 / Portugal:M/12 / Singapore:PG13 / South Korea:15 / Sweden:15 / UK:15 / USA:PG-13 (certificate #47306)