Casey Chong presents six kidnapping thrillers that may have flown under your radar…
Thrillers about kidnapping have captured audiences’ attention for decades with plenty of notable movies to recommend here. For instance, in the 80s, the likes of Harrison Ford-starring Frantic and George Sluizer’s The Vanishing quickly come to mind, while the 90s era also saw a string of high-profile works from Misery to A Perfect World and of course, the huge box-office success of Ransom. By the 2000s onwards, the genre continues to find its popularity from the Man on Fire remake to Taken, Prisoners, and Speak No Evil. Likewise, there are a few films that have went under the radar or were somewhat forgotten for too long due to various reasons. That said, here are six abduction thrillers that may have flown under your radar…
Kidnap (2017)
As the title suggests, Kidnap is as straightforward as it goes: A single mother Karla (Halle Berry), who works as a waitress finds her beloved 6-year-old son Frankie (Sage Correa) is being dragged away by someone after getting distracted from a phone call. What follows next is a series of gripping chases, first on foot and later by car. Director Luis Prieto keeps it lean with none of the excess fats and it’s all economic, stripped-down storytelling from start to end.
Credits also go to the director for using the efficient way of establishing the mother-son dynamic between Halle Berry’s Karla and Sage Correa’s Frankie and from the moment he got kidnapped, it’s hard not to feel the frustration she must go through. It also helps that Berry brings a substantial level of commitment to her role as a determined mother who will do anything to save her son. Kidnap may stretch believability in some parts but this overall well-paced thriller remains an engaging cinematic ride.
The Collector (1965)
Legendary director William Wyler was primarily known for his works in Ben-Hur and The Best Years of Our Lives, but his late-career filmography in The Collector feels like it was uncharacteristically out of left field for Wyler to venture into the psychological thriller territory. One that is dark and perverse and while it may be the first time Wyler tackled the subject, he demonstrates a sound knowledge in putting everything together such a compelling piece.
The movie features then-young Terence Stamp as Freddie, a lonely introvert who drugged a girl of her dream, Miranda (Samantha Eggar) before locking her in a stone cellar of his secluded farmhouse. Essentially a two-hander for the bulk of the movie, The Collector showcases Stamp and Eggar’s Cannes-winning performances as the former wants to get to know more of her. The forced, one-sided romance coming from the delusional Freddie, who firmly believes that she will eventually fall in love triggers a warped sense of disturbing reality throughout the movie. Wyler’s methodical direction favors a deliberate slow burn, which creeps up on you as the movie sinks deeper into the unsettling themes of one’s obsession and power dynamics.
The Captive (2014)
This under-the-radar abduction thriller from Canadian auteur Atom Egoyan features Ryan Reynolds venturing out of his comfort zone – comedy, that is – to play a guilt-ridden and frustrating father who lost her beloved daughter Cassandra (Alexia Fast) one day. Her disappearance has since caused a rift between him and his wife (Mirelle Enos, in a strong supporting turn). Egoyan captures the underlying desperation and anger that Reynolds’ character must endure each day as time passes with little progress.
The movie spreads across the eight-year timeline but Egoyan eschews the traditional narrative in favor of a non-linear structure, suggesting a sense of dread-inducing discomfort over his fragmented depiction of past and present. His direction is cold and pessimistic for most of The Captive while his decision to set the movie in a wintry landscape perfectly reflects its overall bleak tone.
Trapped (2002)
Based on Greg Illes’ novel 24 Hours, Trapped is a gripping abduction thriller that unfortunately fails to attract enough audiences at the time of its release, grossing only $13.4 million against its $30 million budget. Journeyman director Luis Mandoki, venturing from erotic drama in White Palace to romantic drama (When a Man Loves a Woman, Message in a Bottle), showcases his versatility in keeping the pace taut and suspenseful as we see the frightened mother Karen (Charlize Theron) trying to outwit her kidnapper, Joe played by the typically sinister Kevin Bacon. Their verbal tension is what elevates Trapped and at one point, Karen uses sexuality to catch him off guard.
Credits also go to Mandoki for bringing out the best in the rest of the actors including Stuart Townsend, who plays Karen’s research doctor-husband, Courtney Love as the other kidnapper holding him hostage in a hotel room, and the very young Dakota Fanning as the abducted asthma-prone daughter in one of her earlier roles.
Amber Alert (2024)
With a significant budget, Kerry Bellessa revisits his 2012 found-footage thriller Amber Alert and gives it a more traditional structure. His airtight direction is firmly set right from the start, beginning with the pre-title sequence when a young girl is kidnapped prompting the 911 dispatcher to issue an alert to the public using the titular emergency child abduction system. The system in question is based on the actual tool that was created after the ill-fated kidnapping of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman in Arlington, Texas, in 1996.
The movie focuses largely on two unlikely strangers (Hayden Panettiere and Tyler James Williams) as they join forces to track down the car suspected of transporting the kidnapped child. Clocking at just 90 minutes, Bellessa wastes little time in getting to the point and even manages to establish Panettiere and Williams’ characters efficiently. He keeps his movie as grounded as possible and even with these two ordinary civilian characters going to great lengths not to lose sight of the vehicle, he doesn’t succumb to usual Hollywood savior archetypes.
Suicide Kings (1997)
Director Peter O’Fallon deftly blends suspense, dark comedy, and gangster genres in Suicide Kings, which follows a group of twentysomething students who pull off a daring attempt to kidnap former mob boss Charlie Barret (Christopher Walken) and demand a $2 million ransom. Of course, things do not go well as planned, resulting in more complications than these boys originally predicted.
Despite spending time being tied to a chair, Christopher Walken still manages to bring the usual gravitas that made him such an icon in playing gangster roles. The movie equally benefits from the young actors’ committed performances, notably Sean Patrick Flannery and Henry Thomas. At the time of its release, Suicide Kings was largely dismissed by critics and audiences, making only a paltry $1.7 million against its $5 million budget.
What abduction thrillers do you think deserve a spot on this list? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Casey Chong
