MovieChat Forums > Derailed (2005) Discussion > Plot holes (spoilers) the size of...Mont...

Plot holes (spoilers) the size of...Montana? Alaska???

posted 16 years ago by MzKarizzma
47 replies | jump to latest

1. Why was Clive not surprised that Jennifer didn't look very beat up when the multiple rapes were over?
2. Are we to believe that Jennifer trolls the commuter trains looking for frustrated, horny married men with $100K that they can spare? And just because she's beautiful, we're also supposed to believe that she can she find them every month or two!?!
3. How did Clive get into the prison with a weapon...presumably on multiple days?
4. Why is the blackmail money being kept in the sleazy hotel safe? Wouldn't they have stashed it in some offshore bank account...or at the least, a safety deposit box?
5. What downtown hotel Chicago hotel -- not blatantly overrun with rats, pimps and crackheads -- only charges $46 a night? (The worst thing about this hotel room appeared to be the tacky lamps and bedspread.)
6. And why are audiences always expected to believe that an otherwise intelligent man would pay blackmail in the vain hope that THIS payment will be the LAST?

The plot twist(s), however twisty, didn't work for me because of all of these factors (and more).

[–] hottiejerd 16 years ago

and also this movie blows

[–] tay-15 16 years ago

All valid points - and I elaborated on #6 and related issues in a prior post here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398017/board/thread/84036729

This film may have set some kind of land speed record for most plot holes.

Stuck in purgatory.

[–] troybargen 16 years ago

And why didn't the cops that night place Charles in the area of the scene where Winstons body was found?

[–] sambuca 16 years ago

Also, if Charles really did "choose this prison", like he tells Laroche (or whatever his name was) at the end, why does he act so surprised about the Frenchman finding him?

And how did the Frenchman escape and then later wound up in prison, if he was declared dead at the scene, in the hotel?

This movie was quite suspenseful, with believable characters and good acting, plus I liked the twist involving Jennifer Aniston (she always plays such goody goody characters!) - but everything after the hotel shooting was totally unnecessary and it kind of spoiled the movie for me :(

-Goodnight, mother of six!
-Goodnight, father of two!

[–] jkemetmuller 15 years ago

completely agree

JK

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] NeitherHearNorTheir 14 years ago

And why didn't the cops that night place Charles in the area of the scene where Winstons body was found?

Because the body wasn't found near where the cops were talking to Charles. Charles drove the car to another place.

Those cops in the patrol car, after working a night shift, and who probably hadn't taken a really close look at the car, they didn't really have a reason to believe the two events were related.

[–] jabberttp 16 years ago

4. Why is the blackmail money being kept in the sleazy hotel safe? Wouldn't they have stashed it in some offshore bank account...or at the least, a safety deposit box?

Yes, all your points are valid, but THIS one in particular took the cake, IMO. Lame, weak, and a bunch of words that mean the same thing. ;-)

[–] Princess_Ashmi 11 years ago

Same here. Did they just... carry that money around with them everywhere they went? lol.

Ashmi any question

[–] gorettv 16 years ago

1. Why was Clive not surprised that Jennifer didn't look very beat up when the multiple rapes were over?

* what multiple rapes? clive watches her get "raped" once, and he never hit her, so why would clive be surprised

2. Are we to believe that Jennifer trolls the commuter trains looking for frustrated, horny married men with $100K that they can spare? And just because she's beautiful, we're also supposed to believe that she can she find them every month or two!?!

* i don't find this one that hard to believe, train commuters make decent cash, and she's a beautiful woman who's hitting on them so they're suckers and they go for it. and not everyone will have a "spare $100K", but men will do what they need to do to get it

3. How did Clive get into the prison with a weapon...presumably on multiple days?

* they probably didn't frisk him or he hid it in his briefcase

4. Why is the blackmail money being kept in the sleazy hotel safe? Wouldn't they have stashed it in some offshore bank account...or at the least, a safety deposit box?

* ya got me there

5. What downtown hotel Chicago hotel -- not blatantly overrun with rats, pimps and crackheads -- only charges $46 a night? (The worst thing about this hotel room appeared to be the tacky lamps and bedspread.)

* seriously, you consider that a plot hole - now you're just being picky

6. And why are audiences always expected to believe that an otherwise intelligent man would pay blackmail in the vain hope that THIS payment will be the LAST?

* i don't think he did it hoping this would be "the last payment", he did it out of fear - if the blackmailer shows up at your home - you pay

[–] chriscaulder 16 years ago

4. Why is the blackmail money being kept in the sleazy hotel safe? Wouldn't they have stashed it in some offshore bank account...or at the least, a safety deposit box?

Because the hotel manager was in on it, always has been. He probably offered to stash it there, to help Laroche and Xzibit, and to also get a percentage of their profits. Notice that when Charles took his briefcase back (when they exchanged looks), the manager wisely didn't say anything, because he then would be a major suspect in the homicide case upstairs.

This is easy to figure out, I'm surprised none of you thought about that.

This is one of my favorite films. I love the ending. It had me cheering.

[–] ram-80 14 years ago

My 19 yr old sister just pointed out that there should have been no way that he could have reached jennifer Anistons character by going on the company website. No lunch date no movie.

[–] NeitherHearNorTheir 14 years ago

My 19 yr old sister just pointed out that there should have been no way that he could have reached jennifer Anistons character by going on the company website.

I disagree.

When he went to talk to her at her office that last time, the receptionist told him that "Lucinda" had had a temp (who was always late, took long lunches ...), so that was the perfect cover for the con. He called the number on the website, the temp naturally answered, not the actual executive, and simply acted as if she were her boss.

Simple.

[–] riverwalk 14 years ago

My 19 yr old sister just pointed out that there should have been no way that he could have reached jennifer Anistons character by going on the company website. No lunch date no movie.

not true,in our college all the staffs profiles are up along with numbers to contact them along with details of their personal lives,i kno its not a college jennifer aniston was based in but point is some places do have staff details up on the net

[–] asdf189756 11 years ago

My 19 yr old sister just pointed out that there should have been no way that he could have reached jennifer Anistons character by going on the company website. No lunch date no movie

not sure the relevance of your sisters age but this was explained!!! the real Lucinda was away, they had a temp standing in, she answered Lucindas phone

[–] riverwalk 13 years ago

''Because the hotel manager was in on it, always has been. He probably offered to stash it there, to help Laroche and Xzibit, and to also get a percentage of their profits. Notice that when Charles took his briefcase back (when they exchanged looks), the manager wisely didn't say anything, because he then would be a major suspect in the homicide case upstairs.''

eh how?

[–] dave-rko 15 years ago

4. Actually if you listen during the 'rape' you hear the guy say "Come on Chuck, don't fade on me man, round 4 coming up."

[–] Rhapthorne 15 years ago

I'll admit the movie does have some glaring plotholes.
However if you read the book the movie is based on, you'll be confronted with a story so well written with ZERO plotholes that you'll forgive the movie it's mistakes. Everything questioned in the original post is answered in the novel leaving you feeling much more satisfied than this movie. It's a shame the filmmakers didn't include them in their interpretation. Takes what could have been a great thriller movie, to just an average one.

[–] riverwalk 14 years ago

Everything questioned in the original post is answered in the novel leaving you feeling much more satisfied than this movie

care to fill us in then???

[–] purpleheart_2003 15 years ago

3. How did Clive get into the prison with a weapon...presumably on multiple days?

He would have gotten into a Sydney prison with it - you didn't get so many closeup shots of it for nothing. It was not made of metal so could have gotten through a metal detector. Actually at the first closeup I knew there would be some significance because it was clearly a bone shank.

[–] purpleheart_2003 15 years ago

TO MzKarizzma ABOVE:

1. True - never hit her. Charlie was beaten half senseless so couldn't have been much help anyway, and the rapist has a gun on her.

2. Agreed - Charlie looked like an executive type, and so did the later guy. And the scammers went for the $100K after they got the $10K very easily. Noting far fetched about that!

3. Answer posted elsewhere - Because it was carved from bone and wouldn't get picked up by the metal detectors.

4. Answer posted elsewhere - the hotel clerk was in on it.

5 & 6 - you are spot on!

[–] stryych9 15 years ago

why didn't they get their daughter as a test patient for the 99% effective drug? they could have gotten it for free or even gotten paid to be a test patient!

Click Here for nothing

[–] asromafan 15 years ago

How the *beep* did the detective know that his nephew was killed with a S&W 5906? You can't tell the exact make and model of a firearm just by looking at a bullet casing left at a crime scene. that was just dumb.

[–] purpleheart_2003 15 years ago

"How the *beep* did the detective know that his nephew was killed with a S&W 5906? You can't tell the exact make and model of a firearm just by looking at a bullet casing left at a crime scene. that was just dumb."

Did I miss something or was there nothing to suggest that the bullet was not still in the nephew's head?

[–] asromafan 15 years ago

Yeah, you can tell the caliber of a firearm by the round after it is extracted. But there is no way to tell if S&W, or Ruger, or Colt, Sig, HK, etc. just by looking at a bullet or a shell casing, much less a specific model particular to a specific brand, e.g. the 5906 made by S&W. It'd be like trying to figure out someone's penis size, shape, color, and cut by examining a puddle of urine. it was dumb, dumb, dumb.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] beethoven76 15 years ago

''4. Why is the blackmail money being kept in the sleazy hotel safe? Wouldn't they have stashed it in some offshore bank account...or at the least, a safety deposit box?''

There were dozens of briefcases at the front desk when Clive's character picked up his briefacse near the end - still full of money. I think they wanted to show how many times the scam was run. A bit unbelievable, but that's my take on it.

[–] Laurevarnian 15 years ago

You failed to mention how Clive left a corpse in a car in a very conspicuous place which was covered in his fingerprints after acting very suspiciously infront of three eye witnesses, two of whom were cops.
Surely, once the corpse was found Clive would have been their number one suspect.

[–] TitoVicandJoey 15 years ago

You mean the 2 cops and the hooker who didnt get a good look at the white male at the scene they were extorting money from. Realy most of these so called plot holes the OP tries to point out seem to be easily explained. Only glaring one I saw was why didnt Clive get suspecious when he found out her name was Lucinda Harris. You cant get much more African American female than that.Remember, use the magic twig wisely

[–] ShooShooFontana 14 years ago

"Only glaring one I saw was why didnt Clive get suspecious when he found out her name was Lucinda Harris. You cant get much more African American female than that."

You're kidding, right? Lucinda Jenney and Lucinda Dickey should probably re-check the color of their skin. And Harris could be ANY person's surname.

Put down the crack pipe, guido.

[–] scottcom36 15 years ago

Charles seems like a straight arrow who'd never before been in trouble with the law. Therefore they wouldn't have his fingerprints on file. He wasn't fingerprinted during the investigation either.

[–] NeitherHearNorTheir 14 years ago

You failed to mention how Clive left a corpse in a car in a very conspicuous place which was covered in his fingerprints after acting very suspiciously infront of three eye witnesses, two of whom were cops.
Surely, once the corpse was found Clive would have been their number one suspect.

Were his fingerprints all over the car? I saw him distinctly wipe down the steering wheel. If there are more fingerprints, well, they were friends, they were just out at a bar a few nights before, a plausible reason for his fingerprints to be in his friend's car.

Unless the two cops got a really good look at the car, why would they make a connection between some white guy they were talking to, with a car found perhaps on the other side of the city with a black guy in it? Chicago is a large city, there's no reason to suspect that the patrol cops are even aware that a car was found with a dead guy in it, especially if it was on the other side of town. Charles drove the car away from the crime scene.

And even if the patrolmen heard about the dead body in the car the next day and said, "hey, that car looks similar to that car we saw last night when we were talking to that guy", how would they identify him? He was just an average-looking businessman with no distinguishing features. That they saw from across a street. At night. While working the night shift. And flirting with a prostitute.

Even if he didn't get all his fingerprints wiped and they did find one of his, would he be in the system? He doesn't look like he'd have a record, but you never know.

[–] Princess_Ashmi 11 years ago

Were his fingerprints all over the car? I saw him distinctly wipe down the steering wheel.

He only wiped down the drivers side after getting out, he forgot that he was sitting on the other side before hand therefore his prints would have been all over that door.

Ashmi any question