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“Kidnap,” the Halle Berry-starring exercise in high-octane cinematic ineptitude from the previous year, is a far superior thriller in the “Don’t Mess With A Mother” genre. Shawn, played by Gabrielle Union, is a single mother of two children, but she is not the first character we meet. That fellow is Isaac, a wealthy Chicagoan (he has a full drawer of expensive wristwatches) who goes for a morning run and is not only flattened by an SUV but also has his head stepped on by the driver, who refuses to accept responsibility. The film begins with a jolt, as the vehicular homicide is shown with a little more panache than the current de rigueur (and cheap) out-of-nowhere shot, which sets the tone for the entire film.
It is at this point that we meet Union’s character, who happens to be the deceased man’s daughter, and who does not appear to be in any state of mourning. Despite the fact that she and Isaac were not close, she now has to deal with his estate, which includes the large house and surrounding acreage where she spent her childhood in Wisconsin. She and her children, Jasmine, a tween, and Glover, a younger child, plan to spend the weekend putting the place together.
Shawn has fond memories of the house; as they drive past the stables, she tells her children that her father sold the horses after she moved away. Grover, a young computer whiz (of course! ), discovers that the house has a sophisticated security system, and he spends some time amusing himself with a remote-controlled helicopter. When the trio—husband Shawn’s and the father of her children, who is stuck at the office—discovers they aren’t alone in the house, the fun comes to an end.
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I’ve heard the plot of this film described as “Reverse ‘Panic Room,'” which is a clever and not entirely inaccurate description. Shawn is pursued by a member of a four-person gang of criminals after being stranded by one of them, whom she manages to subdue. However, the other three, who are still in the house and looking for a safe, can now lock her out and compel her cooperation by threatening the children they have kidnapped as hostages.
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The rest of the crew is either moderately or extremely unpleasant. Eddie (Billy Burke, who acts in a manner that conjures up a Martin Starr character who was popular and confident in high school) is of the “let’s do what we gotta do” school of thought; blond and jumpy Sam (Levi Maeden) is of the “this isn’t what I signed up for, let’s get out of here” school of thought. Finally, there’s Duncan, who is a fan of the “kill everything that breathes” philosophy. This is not for naught, but it is a little strange to see such a blandly broad Latino psycho stereotype in a film that is about the empowerment of a woman of color character. “Who are you trying to fool, ese?” Richard Cabral doesn’t say anything. “Can’t you see I’m out of my mind?” he asked, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if he hadn’t.
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As soon as the specifics are established, Eddie gives Shawn a second log line to remember: “You are a mother who is completely at the mercy of strangers.” Our house is your greatest weakness, and we have locked you up here with us.” The taunts and provocation on display in the film’s poster and trailers will only serve to heighten the impact of the climactic line “You broke into the wrong house,” which will be delivered in the film’s final scene.
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To sum it all up, the movie is predictable, and the script’s writer, Ryan Engle, makes a lot of unforced dialogue errors, such as when Eddie, after finally finding the safe, manages to open it, looks inside and says, “So that’s what the American Dream looks like.” There are also numerous plot holes, which many of my colleagues gleefully dismantled on their way out of the theater after seeing the film. I’m not usually one to flex my gray matter in this manner, but I had made up my mind to go on an improbable ride from the beginning. If Isaac was a criminal (which he was) and a court case against him was currently pending (which it was), his heir would not be entrusted with the task of disposing of his estate. There would be a freeze on the assets and other belongings. But, y’know, whatever works. I don’t watch these movies in order to get a dose of reality.
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Furthermore, this thriller is not poorly directed. James McTeigue’s visual style is quick and efficient, which helps to keep the suspense set pieces simmering in the background. lateral tracking shot, which is used to follow a character on the move across the hall; when the character stops, the camera keeps moving, and eventually comes to a stop at a point where someone else could conceivably pop out; the shot rests for a couple of beats and nothing happens, and then cuts to black. It’s a very effective strategy for getting away with something. Although none of the film’s climactic “twists” are particularly surprising, few directors are capable of performing genuine miracles.
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