"When did the world get so ** insane?" That's the question audiences will ask as they watch "Untraceable," the nightmarish cybercrime thriller from "Fracture" director Gregory Hoblit.
In it Diane Lane stars as FBI cybercrimes investigator Jennifer Marsh, a hard-core specialist at trolling for sexual predators and identity thieves online. One night as she and her affable sidekick (Colin Hanks) are sussing out cyber scum, Marsh stumbles upon killwithme.com - a twisted, torture-loving web site brandishing live feed of a terrified kitten.
At first the image of the wire-covered animal perplexes agent Marsh. But as she notes the site's quickening, sick commentary and its counter tracking the number of hits, Marsh realizes that the faster the curious click on to watch the quicker the tortured creature will die.
Killwithme.com's mysterious psycho operator then ups this nasty game, moving on from cuddly cats to human beings who are Tasered, dragged to various lairs then happily prepped for streams of complicit, click-happy voyeurs to anonymously torture to death.
Pushing shock value boundaries
Marsh, a widowed Portland mom, is soon targeted by this nutcase (whose MO includes death by a tub of battery acid and frying a victim alive with lights). We can't even imagine the torture she will inevitably face. And yet we watch, just like millions of voyeurs who have grown desensitized to seeing shocking, horrific media images.
Of course, "Untraceable's" macabre madness is not based on a real story. But could it happen? "Yes," says E.J. Hilbert, the film's cyber and FBI consultant.
"This movie's story is perfectly plausible given what we see nowadays. That's scary but it's true."
Fame at any cost
Hilbert ought to know. After six years working on white collar crime hackers intermixed with child pornography, teacher-turned FBI agent Hilbert spent several years dealing with counterterrorism.
"I saw a lot of crap in the eight years I was with the FBI doing this cyber stuff," says Hilbert, MySpace's director of security enforcement. "We're living in an environment where people are looking to advance their personal fame with whatever media they can. So yes, what we see in the film is a plausible methodology."
Again, no real-life files inspired "Untraceable's" tale. But if you need real examples just look at what terrorists are doing around the world, says Hilbert. "They're posting videos of kidnapped victims. They're showing beheadings. You realize that people are out there willing to do this stuff. It's there chance to make their point whatever that sad, disgusting point might be. So yeah, what you see in this movie could happen."
Ironically, the "seen-it-all" Hilbert was shocked after reading "Untraceable's" script. "I thought wow, people are making people die this way? I was worried about giving people ideas. It was a major concern for me, the writer, producer and director."
Yet keeping the story and actors' portrayals true to life was something Hilbert and director Hoblit insisted on.
Lane's on game
"I liked Diane's performance because it reminded me of my bosses," says Hilbert. "They were female. They were hard-core agents. But they were also ladies, mothers - everything you have to be to fill both roles. Diane played it perfectly. She's the strong type who also has the heart."
To prep Lane worked closely with a top Portland agent who was also a mother of three children. As Hilbert says, "FBI agents carry guns and go after criminals. But they're just ordinary people. Diane's performance really reflects that."
As well, "I think the thing that got Diane the most was how agents have to embody that person they're trying to portray online so that the bad guys will join with them," says Hilbert. "The job is really an acting role with the purpose of finding the bad guy and putting them in jail. That really stuck with her."
Combating "Untraceable's" click and kill premise
Ultimately educating audiences and sparking greater debate about violence and its impact on a voyeuristic society is what "Untraceable" will do says Hilbert.
"This movie's story is really two-sided," he says. "If you look at this as a cautionary tale it lets people know crimes like this could happen and that they need to be aware of it. But it also raises a lot of good questions like what are we going to do about it? Are there laws to help us fight this? Are we working together to keep these things from happening?"
Does watching violence numb us? Does it make us more violent? "These are the big issues and the debate is ongoing," says Hilbert, who points to an example from his own youth. "When I was in high school there was a film that went around called "Faces of Death." Everybody had to see it and when you did you really freaked yourself out. Now you can go on to YouTube or Facebook and MySpace and see unbelievable images - and yes, it is all very desensitizing."
As Hilbert says, "If you don't want your kids to see this stuff pay more attention to what they are doing on the computer.
And to conniving cyber criminals, Hilbert and "Untraceable" share the same message. "There is no anonymity on the Internet any longer. If it comes down to it we can find out who is behind this awful stuff faster than ever with today's technology."
Like Lane's character, Hilbert holds onto this truth. "At the end of the day you did something good. You took some kind of puke and put him behind bars."
