Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
S-Trapped to the edge of my seat from the suspense..., October 1, 2002
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I found the story chilling and original. It could happen to anybody. My mom was asking me, doesn't this just encourage criminals/kidnappers to try this sort of thing? A kidnap-ransom that happens in a completely planned out environment and only lasts exactly 24 hours. No one gets hurt, the ransom is a reasonable ($50,000) amount (for a wealthy family). The child is abducted and taken to a faraway location. Joe (played by Kevin Bacon) stays with the mother and explains the house rules. Cheryl (Courtney Love) babysits the husband, and Marvin (Pruitt Vince) watches the child. The house rules are simple. Every 30-minutes the kidnappers contact each other via cellphone to let each other know things are going according to plan. The next morning, the wife is to make arrangements to transfer the money for the husband to pick up. The husband picks up the money and hands it to Cheryl. Marvin brings the child to a rendezvous point where Joe will leave the mother to reunite with her child. Kidnappers disappear. Crime over.But what if things don't go according to plan? What if there's more to it than a simple kidnapping? What if the mother attacks, the father gets feisty and the child has asthma? Will the plan change? You betcha. That's what makes this film so suspenseful, and I will guarantee that it leaves you on the edge of your seats. Wonderful performances by Charlize Theron, Kevin Bacon, and Dakota Fanning. This movie left me feeling as if everyone is vulnerable and never truly safe, especially with the amount of information available out there on any individual. Fictional crimes such as the one described in this film become more and more plausible. Watch it as an eye opener. LEAP rating (each out of 5):
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L (Language) - 3 (Chilling performances. Completely suspenseful that it leaves you at the edge of your seat.)
E (Erotica) - 2 (We see some of Theron's behind. Kevin Bacon is naked in the film. Is there a film where he isn't?)
A (Action) - 4 (Airplane landing on a highway, crazy doctor taking advantage of his knowledge on paralytic drugs, private parts almost getting cut off...)
P (Plot) - 4 (Highly believable, and well conceived kidnap-ransom plan.)
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Trapped-An Acceptable Thriller, January 5, 2003
A Kid's Review
Recently, I bought Trapped on DVD and enjoyed it. The film featured some strong performances and intensity, but as some of you know did horribly in the box-office. I was really eager to see this film because I almost had a chance of seeing it in theatres, but you know there was a huge difficulty with that.
Anyway, Trapped is based on the novel: 24 Hours, by Greg Iles. To be honest, I didn't read the book so I can't give you a great comparison but from seeing the movie, which was good I can bet the book would be even better.
The plot of the film is excellent, with a well conceived/concocted plan, devised by Kevin Bacon and Courtney Love, who are the villans so to speak in the film. Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend are a happily married couple and have a daughter. Soon, Kevin Bacon's plan goes into action and he kidnaps her daughter but there's much more to the kidnapping than you think, for it's a kidnapping for ransom. Over a 24 hour
period the couple's money is being extorted into Bacon's and Love's hands. After that period is over the child will be relinquished back into the family's hands. So, the film had a great plot, just perhaps there needs to be a few more developments.
The press didn't screen the movie for reviews, and the film duration in theatres was only for about two weeks, which is sorry
to say very pitiful, but all in all I liked this film and reading
the book would be something I'd like to try. Trapped is rated R for Violence, Language and Sexual Content. There is a thrilling action sequence at the end of the film, which I personally enjoyed. There is actually some excessive profanity, not throughout the film but at some certain parts, as for the sexuality it's fairly brief and not explicit. There isn't any nudity.
Trapped, an interesting thriller, with a plot but just didn't do well enough to be a great film in the eyes of many. Own it today on Video and DVD.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
[3.5] Better than average "been there, done that" kind of film., October 5, 2007
Smart casting, fast paced direction, and a few surprising twists enhance this rather typical kidnapping film that you've seen before.
Real-life couple Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend have a sickly child, Dakota Fanning, that is kidnapped by a psychotic man, played with great relish by Kevin Bacon, and his wife, nicely played by Courtney Love. Of course, like all good kidnapping films, the plan goes rather awry and the victims strike back. The films soars in the acting, directing, and pacing departments, but falters in the script which has the actors behave in such a way at times that even our willingness to suspend our disbelief is impossible. The same could be said for several "coincidences" that occur within the film that creak like the worn out cliches that they are.
Nevertheless, the film is suspenseful and is an overall exciting experience as long as you can accept all they throw at you without question.
Spoiler Alert:
I have to note the specifics for the problems within this film, but, unfortunately, that also means giving away some plot twists to do so. Read ahead if you don't mind that.
Problem #1: The kidnappers are supposed to be grief-stricken parents striking back after the loss of their own child's death. Why then the obsession with getting money? How then do they enjoy torturing a little child? How then does Bacon also become a rapist during the revenge kidnapping? None of this really fits with grieving parents striking back at those they think are responsible for their child's death.
Problem #2: How in the world did they all happen to meet up on the highway in the end climax scene? It is all just too impossible to believe or accept. It's the worse contrivance I've seen in years.
Problem #3: Why the unnecessary action sequences in a film where it really doesn't fit? It comes across as "Hey, the producers found some extra money, so we thought we'd throw this in."
Again, the problems are serious in this flawed film, however, it is still an overall decent flick with a great cast.
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