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Show thriller too enigmatic for its own good Best 'Forgotten' Philip Wuntch XlOVl&VV MORNING NEWS THE DALLAS fT J he Forgotten" is a cru-- I elly prophetic title. The suspense thriller, featuring Julianne Moore in customary competent form, is one-ha- lf a good movie. The second half goes wildly out-o- f control, leaving the entire film in self destructive mode. Moore is the bereaved mothson who aper of an parently perished in a plane crash 14 months earlier. Sorrow gives way to suspicion when everyone, including her husband, insists that her son never existed, that he was merely the center of an alternate life she concocted for her- The Forgotten Running time: -- 1 Ua. wnai.ft,. $ll.fc.,.l,ri ' ..,,..u,. . hr., 31 min.. for intense thematRating: ic material, some violence and brief language PG-1- -- self. Is a conspiracy under way? Was her son abducted in a government plot? What in the name of mother love is going on? - Director Joseph Ruben Cast Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Gary Sinise, Alfre Woodard 3 ft - Location: Opens Friday in theaters everywhere "plucky." She's touchingly believable as a mother mourning the loss of a cherished child, but when the movie starts playing like an abandoned episode, your sympathies are with the actress rather than the character. Through it all, the dazzlingly photogenic Moore summons the proper gritty attitude. Such good talent as Gary Sinise, Alfre Woodard, Anthony Edwards and Linus Roache is wasted, but Dominic West has strong moments as a grieving father whose experiences parallel Moore's. He even manages to deliver cute dialogue without looking embarrassed. Director Joseph Ruben still hasn't reclaimed the promise he showed in 1987's "The Stepfa-- . When the movie attempts to. answer these questions, it leaps gracelessry from modestly sus-- . penseful thriller to outlandish psycho-fantasIts brief running time suggests that much footage wound up on floor. You'll the cutting-rooexit the theater with multiple unanswered questions but you'll still be grateful that the movie's over. Moore's performance invites the faintly damning praise of BARRY Julianne Moore and Dominic West star in "The Forgotten. film ther." That used shy insinuation to transcend a predictable plot. In "The Forgotten," his heavy-hande- d approach emphasizes MM lFISIIII the film's overly "fanciful plot. Even the movie's most effective scares an unexpected car crash, a surprise gunshot make you feel guilty for having low-budg- Kj MM ex tn no ,1i i 1 i 1 r,r.; A hi L nun! I . Mill it t it i.. iff 'vjkl L JfJ t4 f 1C' .... .Vs - '" n H HA1UMNO t S9HHTTLI 1 IIU lAXCKY .nil HII III.., 1)fhn i. i Press jumped. Moore remains one of the strongest and most versatile actresses working in films. She deserves better. So do you. "DTP m I WETCHERAssociated " ' " i n . j n it 3783163 tv |