Betrayed DVD: Review By B. Alan Orange

Women directors usually have an edge over their male counterparts when it comes to fashioning a thriller with a female protagonist. They understand the feminine psyche a little bit better, and are more attuned to the little things that can make a thriller more harrowing and believable. Writer/director Amanda Gusack does a nice job of turning The Betrayed into something more than just another soapbox direct-to-video thriller. She positions her lead character Jamie (a very fetching Melissa George) as a smart, proficient mother who certainly knows how to role with the punches when it comes to saving her family. After a seemingly dreadful car crash, Jamie wakes up to find her face positioned under a cold shower on the floor of an abandoned waterfront warehouse. Her masked captors play with her for a while, succ*mbing her to Iraqi water torture and letting her sh*t herself. It seems that her husband has stolen $44 million dollars from a powerful crime syndicate. If Jamie doesn't help them find where this money has gone missing, they will kill her young son by refusing him his asthma medicine. It's a little bit goofy, and the earlier hostage/torture scenes play like a kinder, gentler Saw. Once the story picks up though, and we learn the true nature of Jamie's husband, it gets pretty darn exciting. Jamie is forced to listen to taped recordings of past private conversations with her husband, hoping to find a clue as to where the money could possibly be. Her mental exhaustion eventually finds her teaming up with one of the bad guys. And it's quite a thrilling ride. You wouldn't necessarily want to own The Betrayed, but it is certainly worth a rental.

There are none to speak of.

The film is presented in its original direct-to-DVD aspect ratio of 1.78:1. In Color. The runtime is one hour and thirty-eight minutes. It has not been rated (but don't get your hopes up, its only as gory as most Lifetime Original Movies, and the nudity stops short of one silky bra.)

The film is presented in English Dolby Stereo. The Subtitles are in English, French, and Spanish.

The title goes a long way in making this sound like a generic thriller meant for the late afternoon tea party set. I like the box art, especially its splattering of blood. It's mysterious and ominous. There is a sexy girl present, and I have a feeling things aren't going to go well for her. The black and white sheen gives this box a classic feel, and it's definitely something I'd be compelled to pick up out of curiosity.

Amanda Gusack has crafted a taught little thriller for the stay-at-home masses. It delivers on its promise to entertain. It's got a lot of good, unexpected moments. If you like the police procedural aspects of Saw, but can't deal with its buckets of blood and guts gore, this is a nice alternative. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.