# Derailed (2005 film)
*Derailed* is a 2005 American-British psychological thriller directed by Mikael Håfström, starring [Clive Owen](https://www.edgepedia.org/clive-owen) and [Jennifer Aniston](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-aniston) as married executives whose attempted affair draws them into blackmail by a violent criminal. The screenplay by Stuart Beattie adapts James Siegel's novel of the same name, and the film was the first release of the post-Miramax Weinstein Company.[1](https://www.blackfilm.com/20050729/features/derailed.shtml) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-nov-11-et-derailed11-story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Mikael Håfström; his English-language directing debut[1](https://www.blackfilm.com/20050729/features/derailed.shtml) |
| Source | Screenplay by Stuart Beattie, based on the novel by James Siegel[1](https://www.blackfilm.com/20050729/features/derailed.shtml) |
| Cast | Clive Owen (Charles Schine), Jennifer Aniston (Lucinda Harris), Vincent Cassel (LaRoche), Melissa George (Deanna Schine), with RZA and Xzibit[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/derailed) |
| Release | Wide theatrical release November 11, 2005, distributed by The Weinstein Company; rated R[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Derailed) |
| Box office | $36,020,063 domestic, $57,520,063 worldwide, against a $22,000,000 production budget[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Derailed) |
| Critical reception | 20% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 124 reviews; 58% audience Popcornmeter[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/derailed) |
| Home video | DVD and Blu-ray release March 21, 2006; estimated DVD sales of $28,322,913[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Derailed) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Charles Schine, an advertising executive and family man worn down by a difficult home life, meets Lucinda Harris, a financial advisor, on his commuter train, and the two begin a flirtation that moves toward an affair. Both are married with children. When they meet in a hotel room, a thug named Philippe LaRoche bursts in, beats Charles and rapes Lucinda. Neither can go to the police without exposing the affair, and LaRoche follows the attack with a campaign of blackmail, demanding escalating payments while threatening to reveal the indiscretion and harm their families.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/derailed) • [5](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2005/11/11/derailed-directed-by-mikael-hafstrom-br/)
Charles's domestic situation raises the stakes. His daughter Amy is diabetic and awaits a kidney transplant, and money he might otherwise spend on her care is drawn into the blackmail scheme.[6](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2005/11/derailed/) According to the production synopsis, Charles tries to fight the blackmail by hiring muscle, a move that brings legal trouble, and then agrees to participate in a company scam in an attempt to recover the money.[1](https://www.blackfilm.com/20050729/features/derailed.shtml) The story turns on a late twist, which several critics found predictable.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/derailed)
## Production and release
Håfström, a Swedish director whose earlier work included the film *Evil*, made his English-language debut with this picture.[1](https://www.blackfilm.com/20050729/features/derailed.shtml) [Lorenzo di Bonaventura](https://www.edgepedia.org/lorenzo-di-bonaventura) produced, with production companies including Miramax Films, Patalex V Productions Limited, and Di Bonaventura Pictures.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/derailed) The Los Angeles Times identified the film as the first release of the Weinstein Company after the Weinstein brothers' split from Miramax.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-nov-11-et-derailed11-story.html)
The film opened on November 11, 2005 in 2,443 theaters, earning $12,211,986 on its opening weekend, about 33.9% of its eventual domestic gross, and ranking third for the weekend. It ran for an average of 4.5 weeks per theater.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Derailed) Domestic grosses reached $36,020,063, with $21,500,000 internationally, for a worldwide total of $57,520,063, about 2.6 times the production budget.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Derailed) Weinstein Co./Genius released it on home video on March 21, 2006.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Derailed)
## Reception
Critical response was largely negative. Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 20% Tomatometer across 124 reviews, against a 58% Popcornmeter score from more than 100,000 audience ratings; the site's critics consensus cited "miscast stars, a ludicrous plot and an obvious twist."[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/derailed) The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave it one star, calling it "a heavy-handed and charmless psychological thriller" with a predictable twist.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2006/feb/03/5) The Harvard Crimson's reviewer gave it half a star, criticizing the lack of chemistry between the leads and Stuart Beattie's script.[5](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2005/11/11/derailed-directed-by-mikael-hafstrom-br/) The Los Angeles Times called it "a silly, lurid, pulpy thriller" that was "more than silly enough to be ludicrous."[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-nov-11-et-derailed11-story.html) On IMDb, the film holds a 6.6/10 rating from about 79,000 votes, a warmer audience measure than the Tomatometer.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398017/)
Reviewers singled out different elements. Some found Owen's casting a mismatch for a hapless everyman; the Austin Chronicle's Marc Savlov wrote that it was "difficult to swallow Owen as anything other than eminently resourceful," while a Premiere review observed that all of the character's problems would disappear if he simply went to the police.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/derailed) A Christianity Today review noted that the film abandons its early focus on a family broken by infidelity for a crime and revenge plot, and quoted a Catholic News Service critique of an ending in which "a character literally gets away with murder."[6](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2005/11/derailed/)
## Later availability
The film has remained in circulation on streaming services. As of recent listings it streams in the United States on fuboTV and the Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, free with ads on services including Tubi, The Roku Channel, Plex, and [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw), and rents from $3.99 on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google TV, and YouTube.[9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/derailed) • [10](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/derailed/22794/where-to-watch/) [Availability](https://www.edgepedia.org/availability) varies by country; it is not on a subscription service in the United Kingdom.[11](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/derailed-2005-8999)
## References
1. [First Look: Derailed, blackfilm.com (August 2005)](https://www.blackfilm.com/20050729/features/derailed.shtml)
2. [Carina Chocano, "Twists, ham fists and a near-tryst crash in 'Derailed'," Los Angeles Times, November 11, 2005](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-nov-11-et-derailed11-story.html)
3. [Derailed, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/derailed)
4. [Derailed (2005) Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Derailed)
5. [Kristina M. Moore, "Derailed," The Harvard Crimson, November 11, 2005](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2005/11/11/derailed-directed-by-mikael-hafstrom-br/)
6. ["Derailed," Christianity Today, November 11, 2005](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2005/11/derailed/)
7. [Peter Bradshaw, "Derailed: review," The Guardian, February 2, 2006](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2006/feb/03/5)
8. [Derailed (2005), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398017/)
9. [Derailed streaming: where to watch movie online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/derailed)
10. [Derailed (2005): Where to Watch & Stream, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/derailed/22794/where-to-watch/)
11. [Where to watch Derailed (2005), FlickFinder](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/derailed-2005-8999)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2005–2009 films › Released 2005 to 2007*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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