Two of the most over-attempted genres of the last few years must be the romantic comedy and the psycho-thriller. Now I'll confess straight up that I loathe romantic comedies, and while I love a good thriller, there have been few lately that really stand out. Most either ask you to believe the unbelievable, or have about three tag endings. You know the kind where the baddie just won't die and the main characters do dumb things like turn their back on the 'body'. Urgh! So lame! Thankfully, The Unsaid doesn't let itself fall into that trap, and ends up being a fair effort.

Michael Hunter (Andy Garcia) is a psychologist still dealing with the grief and guilt of his son's suicide. His wife, Penny (Chelsea Field), is no longer a part of his life, and his daughter, Shelley (Linda Cardellini), who lives with his ex-wife, is slowly drifting away from him.

When a former student, Barbara Wagner (Teri Polo), asks him to look into a case she is involved in, he reluctantly agrees when he realises how much the boy, Thomas Caffey (Vincent Kartheiser), reminds him of his dead son, Kyle (Trevor Blumas). Thomas has been in care since being found at the family home four years previous alongside the body of his mother, murdered by his father. Barbara believes there is real pain and hidden trauma in Thomas, and is concerned he is not ready for release from his carer institution in a few weeks when he turns 18.

Hunter reluctantly agrees, and finds himself using the chance to help Thomas as a substitute for failing his son. Unbeknownst to Hunter, Thomas has become friendly with his daughter. When he finds out, he is less than happy, becoming furious and desperate when he learns there is more to Thomas' past than anybody had originally thought.

The Unsaid is almost two stories in one. It is the story of Michael Hunter's grief and guilt, and the story of Thomas' involvement with Hunter's daughter, Shelley. It deals with some very emotional topics, including youth suicide, which has become an ever-increasing tragedy.

The acting is very good, especially from Garcia who has the knack of underplaying roles. He has done so again, but it is a better movie for it. The music is also rather good, adding to the tension. There are some variances in style, with use of flashback, black and white scenes and some slow-motion, but all in all this is a solid thriller that won't make any Top Ten lists, but is still better than much of the rubbish that is out there.

This is a solid transfer and very natural looking. The aspect ratio is a respectable 1.85:1 and is 16:9 enhanced. As said colours are very natural, and skin tones are also good. There is no evidence of noise, black levels are solid and also noise free, and even shadow detail is good.

There is the barest evidence of some shimmer in one or two spots that will slip past unnoticed. There is no evidence of grain or edge enhancement, and a pleasing lack of marks and dirt. The layer change is placed between scenes at 67:52, but considering this is a no frills version, it may have fit just as nicely on a single-layer disc. No matter, the clear, sharp and well-coloured image should compensate.

There is but one audio track, being Dolby Digital 5.1. It's a pretty standard affair, but does a good job in all the right places. Most dialogue comes from the centre speaker and is mostly clear and audible save for one or two mumbled lines (bloody moody teenagers!) but there are subtitles (English) that you can call on. There are no issues with synchronisation. The rear channels are in almost constant presence, though mostly this is quite subtle. They do kick in with some gusto during the stormy bits, with rain and thunder belting down. Mostly though, they can be heard carrying the sounds of birds, kids playing, and the odd car engine or two. Low-level sounds are fine, though not earth shattering, but they do give the subwoofer work to do. The soundtrack ranges from subtle to quite noticeable, and is carried generally by all channels.

No extras are included.

I have to confess that I had not heard of this film until the DVD release, but enjoyed it enough to recommend it. The acting is good, the story is double edged, and while there are a few moments when you think, "Hmm, I don't know about that," there is nothing here that will cause you to roll your eyes and think, "No way!" This is a mostly enjoyable and watchable thriller.