Butterfly on a Wheel (2007)

The film is quite well-made; it's the story that lowers the rating for me. I am usually quite surprised by stories of this type; but the twist became rather obvious early on in the film. Alright, there was still a touch of mystery, as I did not know why this was happening, but I certainly got a clear impression of what was going on.I'm also fed-up of the unrealistic approach many films like this take; sure it can be a fun ride, but I'm afraid this one failed to be fun enough to make up for the mediocre plot-line of "revenge of the spouses".On the positive side, I did find myself rooting for the small man bringing down the arrogant, unfeeling corporate climber; even if the "small man" was his spurned wife.

Radio Times online gave just two stars and only the skimpiest of plot lines as their review, when I saw it was going to be shown on BBC3.Having never heard of director Mike Barker (he's done a couple of episodes of Silent Witness; yes he's British) didn't inspire me but Pierce Brosnan surely must, right?Against-the-clock ransom movies don't really do it for me and when they're flashily directed, they're usually covering up a bad or non- existent plot. Brosnan is fairly nasty all the way through - we've all seen nastier, but then they've been death-row psychopaths and this does begin to grate a bit. Gerard Butler and Mario Bello play the requisite distraught couple whose young daughter is the pawn in this increasingly sinister cat-and-mouse game.It becomes obvious that the motive is far beyond mere money and whilst the motives get even more hazy, an unseen and (for once) believable outcome prevails.Laziness probably stopped me from turning it over at times when it was just loud and angry but, like a few reviewers here, I'm gently satisfied with the end result. The film won't do anything for either Brosnan's or Butler's career, though it might well for the rest.

This movie is literally one of the worst I have ever seen. I don't even know where to start.With the awful plot that makes no sense after the first 10 minutes? With the motivation for the kidnapping that was pretty much revealed in the first 10 minutes? That is if you are not braindead it's pretty easy to figure out.Great acting? I always thought of Brosnan as a respectable actor but not anymore.And nobody should be surprised by the ending.Sometimes you just want to pick up a movie for the evening and you don't expect to much.But after watching this I am actually angry I wasted my time on this.How could anyone greenlight this?

I enjoyed watching this movie (on TV). One of my best movie-evenings for several weeks. At first it seems like a movie where the irrational madness of Tom Ryan (Pierce Brosnan) enters the perfect life of a perfect couple (Gerard and Maria). Gerard and Maria are forced into doing things that will eventually destroy their lives. This would be enough to satisfy an action-addict like me, but as the madness evolves Tom Ryan increasingly symbolizes some demonic darkness within this seemingly perfect relationship, a kind of bad conscience leading to a raving night-mare. (My interpretation)At the end Gerard is forced into crossing his final moral boundary, and at this point Tom and Gerard swap their roles in the movie: Tom becoming the protagonist and Gerard becoming the immoral antagonist.Until this point the movie is splendid, but the end including the actual role of Maria is a bit shallow and could have been better written. Nevertheless it is definitely worth watching, partially because of the high-quality music that lifts the movie.