The producers of BUTTERFLY ON A WHEEL (a/k/a SHATTERED in U.S.),didn't have enough faith in their project to seek widespread theatrical distribution of the finished film--even though it had GERARD BUTLER fresh from his box-office triumph in "300". Instead, they went a more direct route--directly to TV on TNT, which seems more like a last resort. Once again, a Gerard Butler film with limited distribution even though co-starred with PIERCE BROSNAN and MARIA BELLO.

Seeing it on TNT, it's understandable that the film had some problems in connecting with a larger audience. Brosnan's villain is below par for the actor and Butler has done better work elsewhere although he gives all his energy to the role of a distraught husband.

The plot is an elaborate cat-and-mouse game that Brosnan plays with the unlucky couple, Butler and Bello. While it does generate a certain amount of suspense, Brosnan's character remains an enigma for almost the whole story. Never once do we get a hint of why he's going to such extremes to torture the couple by demanding that they perform tasks at his bidding. A grungy looking Brosnan makes the villain a very unappetizing psychotic and we're never quite sure about Butler either, an ad agency man who gradually loses his swaggering overconfident manner.

Without giving away more of the plot (except to say that there is a mildly interesting twist toward the end followed by a double twist),the whole thing plays more like a made-for-TV movie than an actual film because none of the characters are more than one-dimensional despite the good acting. And the final scene between Butler and Bello is totally unbelievable as to motivation.

Summing up: Basically tricky and shallow at the core.

Neil Randall (Gerard Butler) is an advertising executive climbing the corporate ladder. One day while Neil and his wife Abby (Maria Bello) are heading to spend time with his boss over a possible promotion leaving their daughter with a babysitter. A gunman (Pierce Brosnan) pops up from the backseat of the car telling the couple that their daughter has been kidnapped.

First the man wants the Randall's to empty their bank account only to set the money on fire and throw it away in the river. The man knows a lot about Neil, his business practices and seems to be testing him as to how far he would go to save his child.

The man is a sociopath who cares little about money. He is playing games with Neil, taunting him to reveal more of his character. The couple argue as try to do the tasks required of them knowing their daughter is in danger.

It looks like Neil is no random victim but Butterfly on a Wheel needed to make the situation regarding the Randall's perverse and bizarre. I just found some of it hard to believe and trite. The film has a double twist which explains why the couple are in such a predicament but it is a flawed thriller.

In Chicago, the family man and executive of an advertisement agency Neil Randall (Gerard Butler) has a perfect life: he expects to be promoted in his job sooner; he has a beautiful and sexy wife, Abby (Maria Bello) and a lovely daughter, Sophie (Emma Karwandy); and he lives in a wonderful house. When Neil's boss Karl Granger (Peter Keleghan) invites him to spend the weekend in his cottage in the country, Abby hires a nanny for Sophie to spend the day with her sister Diane (Samantha Ferris). While driving Abby in his truck to meet Diane, a stranger (Pierce Brosnan) hidden on the backseat appears with a gun, and tells that he has kidnapped Sophie. He introduces himself as Ryan and demands that for twenty-four hours, the couple shall obey his orders, otherwise he would kill Sophie. While keeping the couple under his total control, he shows that he is a calculating sociopath with nothing to lose, with the intention of destroying Neil's perfect life.

"Butterfly on a Wheel" was a great surprise for me, with a tense story, tight and effective screenplay with unpredictable twists and stunning acting of Pierce Brosnan (he is awesome),Maria Bello and Gerard Butler. A friend of mine recommended this suspenseful thriller and I really enjoyed it. I could never expect the plot point in Karl's house, but the last twist in the conclusion was disappointing and quite hard to believe. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Encurralados" ("Trapped")