A suburban mother, Della(Basinger),from a gated community, who has endured an abusive marriage from an intense bullying husband, goes out to get wrapping paper, doesn't appreciate that a gang of punks parked out of place blocking a spot so she couldn't pull in there(it's Christmas eve and traffic's a bitch),leaving a note to them in anger. Dirtbag Haas and his wannabe gangsters enact a war with Della over something so trivial which starts after he shoots a "rent-a-cop" while in the midst of an argument(it's simple, the security cop wants Haas to leave Della alone and he refuses, resulting in multiple gun shots to the skull). It becomes a fight for survival as this band of thugs attempt to find and execute Della, resulting in their own demise. I love the premise of someone like this beautiful mom, cut off from what is the "real world", having tolerated her husband's nasty treatment over the years, finally snapping, with those who pushed her over the edge suffering the consequences. Haas has evolved from his cutesy child actor days and now plays all kinds of interesting characters, in WHILE SHE WAS OUT, he's equipped with one of those repellent scumbags, the kind of polarizing jerk who gets what's coming to him to the delight of the audience. Basinger is superb in a change-of-pace role, showing someone who has had enough, tired of being the victim, who takes it upon herself to stay alive by whatever means are at her disposal. Her Della is a bundle of nerves and all she wants to do really is get back to her kids(that's obviously enough motivation to do what is needed possible, right?). It's interesting how diverse this gang is, Asian, African-American, Latino, and Haas, their ringleader. All Della has is a tool box with weapons like a wrench and tire iron to use against her pursuers. Sure, it's strength in numbers at first, but as that dwindles, Haas will find that this bitch won't go down without a fight. Particularly interesting is when Haas' Chuckie sizes Della up and she, in turn, seduces him, using her seemingly ageless beauty as a means to buy herself some time. And, to see Della so completely liberated by this night, to put an end to the routine, she is able to face her husband and finish the movie with a bang. Craig Sheffer makes a brief, but impressionable, appearance as Basinger's loathsome husband. The plot isn't overly complicated and the pace is fast..it is rather funny that all this starts because of a parking space.

Despite being an avid cinema buff, I admit to never having heard of this movie before I watched it recently. It turns out to be a straightforward revenge thriller in which Kim Basinger plays an ordinary woman who finds herself pursued by a thuggish street gang one evening after she witnesses them commit a murder. It's low budget stuff, shot in Canada, lifted a little by a dedicated performance from Basinger as the put-upon heroine. There are missteps here, including gratuitous sex scenes and a miscast Luke Haas who's way too nice to convince as the bad guy, but the film does have a sadistic streak and unexpected gore which gives it an edge.

An abused housewife (Kim Basinger) goes shopping for wrapping paper on Christmas Eve, and finds herself alone and confronted by a gang of thugs who wish to do harm to her. But she finds herself to be stronger than she thought, and fights back.

Right off the bat, I didn't much care for this film. I found Basinger to be the wrong woman for her role, and not particularly good at what she was doing. The story of an abused wife is certainly terrifying in its own way and I felt for her character... but I never found Basinger believable. The box cover quotes a critic raving about her performance, but I just didn't see it.

From there, we run across stereotypes and clichés. Why is this taking place on Christmas Eve? The film is released in April... and do we really need another Christmas movie anyway? We have yet another dead cell phone, pretty much standard in films today. And then we have a woman who is alone in a big city, somehow able to find secluded woods... there's no one around? Really? But let's just ignore these things.

Another critic points out the "politically correct" casting choices for the thugs -- why are they all racially different and lead by the white man? I guess I don't have a problem with this, but I am forced to wonder if the writer consciously thought that it was important to mix the racial makeup of the group. Which is over-thinking the story, really.

The use of the toolbox was a nice touch... others have compared it to Batman's utility belt (I guess Basinger recalls her time as Vicki Vale). I don't know how realistic it is to carry a toolbox along when you're trying to run away silently from thugs, but I can't deny the nice splashes of blood that come from driving tools deep into a bad guy's head. Which, as a horror reviewer, was a nice surprise from the generally more tam "thriller" genre.

Overall, I found the film predictable and not containing the best acting. There are a few memorable scenes and the ending wasn't exactly what I expected... so that's good. I'd say the film might be worth a rental if you want a bit of suspense on a rainy Friday night, but there are better options out there if you really want to be "thrilled".