Screenwriter Stephen Gaghan (Traffic) makes his directorial debut with the new film Abandon, a thriller that gives insight into the rigorous world of college life.

Katie Holmes is an intellectual student preparing for a career, but finds herself in emotional and psychological turmoil when her ex-boyfriend (a pompus egomaniac who disappeared without a trace two years earlier) resurfaces and makes new advances towards his old flame. Holmes' main source of security is a police officer (played by Benjamin Bratt) who has troubles of his own.

Holmes (of Dawson's Creek fame) definitely has star appeal. But then she proved that as a southern vixen in Sam Raimi's The Gift. In Abandon, her sweetness and innocence is endearing, and it's easy to see why the male characters in the film are drawn to her. Bratt coasts through a thankless role as a potential Holmes love interest. While he tries his best, he really isn't given much to work with. Charlie Hunnam is brash and all too real as the egomaniacal jerk that haunts Holmes, and the young actor bares an eerie resemblance to Heath Ledger.

It is Abandon's look at college life that really works. This is an honest and realistic look at a stressful lifestyle, and thankfully, it's a much stronger take on it's subject than the satirical, empty, and detached glimpse given in Rules of Attraction. Oddly, that movie features Holmes' Dawson Creek co-star James Van Der Beek.

It isn't until the all too obvious thriller aspect comes into play, that Abandon really falls apart. What is supposed to be an unexpected twist is nothing more than a cheap, pretentious ploy that really demeans the characters and situations that the audience has been introduced to. What could have been an interesting drama about lonliness, despair, repression, and ambition, degenerates into a typical Hollywood thriller complete with an open book ending.

Good performances and an insightful look at college life keep Abandon from being a total waste. Stephen Gaghan seems to have a grasp on the material in the early goings on, but sadly, he feels compelled to let this thriller slip away. The end result is most disappointing.