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Butterfly on a Wheel

Butterfly on a Wheel

Crime · Drama · Thriller · 2007

A sociopathic kidnapper methodically pushes a desperate pair of parents to their absolute breaking point.

Movie details

Butterfly on a Wheel

“Lives will be broken”

2007 Crime · Drama · Thriller 1h 35m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

A sociopathic kidnapper methodically pushes a desperate pair of parents to their absolute breaking point.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Butterfly on a Wheel?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

A Crooked Somebody

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An attention-seeking psychic is kidnapped and tries to use the situation to boost his popularity.

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Widows

Widows

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A police shootout leaves four thieves dead during an explosive armed robbery attempt in Chicago. Their widows have nothing in common except a debt left behind by their spouses' criminal activities. Hoping to forge a future on their own terms, they join forces to pull off a heist.

Cape Fear

Cape Fear

Drama · 1991

Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14 years ago, Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape trial, and he made a serious error: he hid a document from his illiterate client that could have gotten him acquitted. Now, the cagey Cady has been released, and he intends to teach Sam Bowden and his family a thing or two about loss.

King Ivory

King Ivory

Crime · 2025

Based on extensive research involving law enforcement and gang members, a never-before-seen, authentic look inside the underworld of fentanyl trafficking from gangs inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester a.k.a. "Big Mac."

Primal Fear

Primal Fear

Crime · 1996

Defense attorney Martin Vail takes on jobs for money and prestige rather than any sense of the greater good. His latest case involves an altar boy, accused of brutally murdering the archbishop of Chicago. Vail finds himself up against his ex-pupil and ex-lover, but as the case progresses and the Church's dark secrets are revealed, Vail finds that what appeared a simple case takes on a darker, more dangerous aspect.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Drama · 2017

Dr. Steven Murphy is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who presides over a spotless household with his wife and two children. Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin, a fatherless teen who insinuates himself into the doctor's life in gradually unsettling ways.

Girl in the Basement

Girl in the Basement

Thriller · 2021

Sara is a teen girl who is looking forward to her 18th birthday to move away from her controlling father Don. But before she could even blow out the candles, Don imprisons her in the basement of their home.

Derailed

Derailed

Drama · 2005

When two married business executives having an affair are blackmailed by a violent criminal, they are forced to turn the tables on him to save their families.

Adulterers

Adulterers

Thriller · 2016

On a steamy New Orleans afternoon, Sam Deuprey decides to surprise his beautiful wife, Ashley, for their anniversary and comes home early. But Ashley is not alone in the bedroom. She and her lover, Damien are about to learn how far a jealous husband will go.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Mike Barker

Written by

William Morrissey

Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan

Tom Ryan

Maria Bello

Maria Bello

Abby Randall

Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler

Neil Randall

Emma Karwandy

Emma Karwandy

Sophie Randall

Claudette Mink

Claudette Mink

Judy Ryan

Desiree Zurowski

Desiree Zurowski

Helen Schriver

Nicholas Lea

Nicholas Lea

Jerry Crane

Court is in session

Put Butterfly on a Wheel on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.