Hayden Christensen might have caught a bad rap. His acting in the two “Star Wars” prequels has been the subject of a great deal of mockery and spoofs. His acting in the new film “Awake” will not be so ridiculed.

Christensen plays Clay Beresford, the head of a massive company that he inherited from his father, Clay Sr. Clay has a heart condition that has forced him to be placed on the donor list for a heart transplant. Meanwhile, Lilith (Lena Olin), Clay’s overprotective mother, has spent a great deal of time helping Clay develop the family business. Clay has a secret romance budding with Samantha (Jessica Alba) that has to be kept from his mother for a reason that is too good to spoil here.

As it turns out, Clay gets a page from Dr. Jack Harper (Terrence Howard) who tells him he has a new heart waiting for him. Jack is both Clay’s heart surgeon and friend. The day of the surgery, Clay is given anesthesia, but he does not go to sleep. He remains paralyzed but awake, in the medical phenomenon known as “anesthesia awareness.” A sinister plot begins to unfold as Clay tries to figure out what is going on.

The movie is a great psychological thriller that reportedly has been in post-production during the last two years. Alba and Christensen’s chemistry is palpable. Olin makes a great turn as Clay’s mother. She manages to show both a strong woman who has had to raise Clay in a tough upper-class world and show her love and affection for him.

Christensen’s range comes out on display here. He does great in the voiceover work, and later, when he retreats inside his own mind to escape the pain of the surgery, he has some really great heartbreaking moments.

Writer/director Joby Harold should be proud of this film. It is a true gem that hopefully more people will notice as time goes on. It also shows that Alba can be more than just a pretty face and has a legitimate shot at being a serious actress if she can find more roles like this.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5