Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Not Forgotten calls itself a "thriller" but it doesn't do much to "thrill".  While it has a few interesting moments, for the most part, this is a humdrum kidnapping/revenge story, one that I'll very quickly forget.

Jack Bishop (Simon Baker) has it all - a great life in Texas, a terrific 11 year old daughter named Toby, and a beautiful wife (Paz Vega), who's a great stepmom to Toby.  But life goes awry when Toby is kidnapped.  Living near the Mexico border, Jack and the authorities are concerned that Toby might have been dragged across the border where who knows what will happen to her.  Or, perhaps she's a victim of the registered sex offender living nearby.  While everyone pitches in to look for Toby, we the viewers get a few glimpses into what's really happening, and we know this story's going to get much bigger and stranger, before all is finally revealed.

Because Jack has a past, one that he's been keeping secret for many years.  And it revolves around a Mexican cult that's obsessed with death. 

But Jack's not the only one with a secret.  I don't want to spoil anything for you, but I will say that this movie has plenty of surprises and suspense.  Indeed, I was pleasantly surprised at the way the story progressed, without falling into "same old, same old" territory.

The performances are pretty good, especially from Baker and Vega.  Both are required to show very divergent sides to their personalities as the story goes along, and both do so quite well.  Jack's transformation is particularly impressive as we get to see sides of him we never knew existed in the beginning acts. 

However, the movie is dragged down by its many flaws.

The first is its pacing.  The beginning of the movie was so slow, I nearly turned it off.  It simply takes far too long to get started.  Then, even once Toby disappears and the real story gets underway, it's still an incredibly long time until something really interesting finally happens.  Really, it's the final half hour that's exciting, and kept my attention.  Prior to that, it was a very ho-hum experience.

There is also plenty of upper female nudity shown.  None of it had any bearing on the story, clearly it was tossed in as a "bonus" for people who like that kind of thing.  And I'm sure there are plenty of people who do.  Personally, I could have done without it.

And if gruesome violence is more your thing, there's some of that, too.  Most notably one scene that has got to be one of the most hideous scenes of violence I've ever seen.  For a brief moment, I wondered if Jack Bishop had turned into Jack Bauer for that one scene!

Worst of all, I find flaw with the entire story, once it's finally revealed.  Because, ultimately, the story made little sense.  The goals of the "bad guys" could have been met in much simpler ways than what was depicted.  In other words, the story could have used a tweak or three to make it gel just a little better.

So, with a slow beginning, and a story that ultimately could have been a lot better, I'd have to advise viewers to skip this movie. 

Recommended: No

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age