Abandon

ABANDON —** — Katie Holmes, Benjamin Bratt, Charlie Hunnam, Zooey Deschanel, Gabrielle Union, Gabriel Mann; rated PG-13 (sex, violence, profanity, brief drug use, vulgarity, brief gore).

The only thing worse than your substandard, run-of-the-mill Hollywood picture is an angst-ridden attempt to be profound, like "Abandon."

This windy psychological thriller is already asking for it because of its title, which practically begs to be ridiculed (you can already hear variations on the "Abandon hope all ye who enter here").

That problem is compounded by wasting the talents of an attractive and talented cast, led by Katie Holmes, who stars as Katie Burke, a college senior under a tremendous amount of pressure. She's already overburdened with worries about her thesis project. But now she's also experiencing visions of her ex-boyfriend, Embry Larkin (Charlie Hunnam), who disappeared without a trace two years earlier and is presumed dead.

Enter Wade Handler (Benjamin Bratt), a detective and recovering alcoholic who's been handed the disappearance case as a way to rehabilitate himself.

Wade finds himself drawn to the hard-working Katie, and vice-versa. But then she receives evidence to suggest that Embry may not be dead — and not only is he stalking her, he may also be connected to another disappearance on-campus.

It's hard to believe that something this routine came from Oscar-winning "Traffic" screenwriter Stephen Gaghan, who also makes his directorial debut with this dud. (The film features a "surprise" ending that's painfully obvious.)

And frankly, he could have used a more magnetic lead than Holmes, who seems to rely on her looks more than her talent. More interesting by far is Zooey Deschanel, who provides a dynamic, funny supporting turn that is far better than the material.

"Abandon" is rated PG-13 for scenes of simulated sex, violence (including violence against women, sexual violence and a bludgeoning), scattered use of strong profanity and some crude sex talk, brief drug use (marijuana) and brief gore. Running time: 99 minutes.

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