Directed by the writer of the screenplay of acclaimed drug
drama 'Traffic', 'Abandon' was an ill-judged attempt to do
another college thriller, along the lines of 'Urban Legend'.
Cast as Mousy Julie, Lynskey was once
more put in the
stereotype that was set by her performance
in 'Heavenly
Creatures, and given very little to do,
as were Zooey
Deschanel and Gabrielle Union.
Strangely listed on the poster as Melanie
Jayne Lynskey, her
portrayal of the lonely, shy college
librarian, was as good as it
could be, in spite of the script not
being able to make full use
of her skills as an actress. This was
certainly true for the bulk
of the main cast. Although the ending
was enough of a
surprise to avoid predictability, the
rest of 'Abandon' was slow
and lacking in any tension to raise any
feeling of suspense
within the movie audience. Reaching
the midway position in
the US Top Ten movies, 'Abandon' did
nothing to convince
producers and casting executives of Lynskey's
potential as a
future leading lady.
