Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Pierce Brosnan | ... | Tom Ryan | |
Maria Bello | ... | Abby Randall | |
Gerard Butler | ... | Neil Randall | |
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Emma Karwandy | ... | Sophie Randall |
Claudette Mink | ... | Judy Ryan | |
Desiree Zurowski | ... | Helen Schriver | |
Nicholas Lea | ... | Jerry Crane | |
Peter Keleghan | ... | Karl Granger | |
Samantha Ferris | ... | Diane | |
Malcolm Stewart | ... | Dave Carver | |
Callum Keith Rennie | ... | Det. McGill | |
Dustin Milligan | ... | Matt Ryan | |
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Julie Patzwald | ... | Female Teller |
Jason McKinnon | ... | French Waiter | |
Kurt Evans | ... | Maitre D' |
The happily-married couple of Neil and Abby Randall have worked very hard to create a healthy and safe bubble for themselves and their only daughter, Sophie. However, their seemingly idyllic life will start crumbling into pieces when, out of the blue, the determined and methodical gunman, Tom Ryan, holds them captive, as his cold-blooded accomplice uses Sophie for leverage. Now, Abby and Neil have no other choice but to do Tom's bidding if they want to keep their child alive--and with every task they successfully perform--they see a piece of their orderly life being robbed from them. But, why is this perfect stranger bent on destroying three innocents? Written by Nick Riganas
Every now and then: the huge Hollywood-engine creates a small and simple film that turns out to be far superior than any gigantic blockbuster made that year. "Butterfly on a wheel" is such a film. It doesn't feature amazing explosions or overwhelming car chases or anything of that kind. It has marvelous actors playing colorful characters in a gripping storyline. These are only the very basic elements but this film uses them wisely. Unlike most thrillers however, this one doesn't take an awful lot of time to set the mood but moves at a high pace.
The split-second where this movie instantly changes from a soft-drama to a razor-sharp thriller is absolutely gorgeous ... it's a real shocker! And from that moment forth we have ourselves a nail-biting ride which'll keep you firmly on the edge of your seat until the very end. On top of that: this movie's great twist ending beautifully blurs the line between good and evil.
Pierce Brosnan has already proved to be much more than 007 and continues to do so here. Maria Bello became famous as the sexy waitress/dancer in "Coyote ugly" but over the years she became a fine actress. And Gerard Butler has fought side by side with Lara Croft and 300 of the bravest Greeks, but now this Scottish actor takes a break from this senseless violence and plays a more fragile role.
In short: "Butterfly on a wheel" is an intelligent cat-and-mouse-game that steadily becomes a first-rate thriller.