For some reason, Hollywood likes to make movies from time to time that are a wild ride but very predictable, meaning from simply watching the trailer, the entire layout is pretty much there. There is lots of action, but sadly, you already know the ending. There are many different speculations on why they are made (to give people jobs, cash grabs, or they will simply be critic proof), but they are a part of life.
“Kidnap” is the new film directed by Luis Prieto (Start Up, Z Nation) and stars Halle Berry (X-Men, Monsters Ball), Sage Correa (Papa, Peanuts), Chris McGinn (Hard Drive, Orange is the New Black), and Lew Temple (Lawless, Rango). Centered on single mother Karla (Berry), whose son Frankie (Correa) goes missing, Karla races after Margo (McGinn) and Terry (Temple), who are the kidnappers.
The cinematography was very good here, with some great shots of the scenery and showed New Orleans in a very good way. When it comes to the acting, it was fine with Berry in the role of the freaked out mother, but I have to note that I like how McGinn did, playing the evil redneck woman very well paired up with Temple, who did not talk much and relied on his actions and body language.
This film has a huge similarity to Berry’s prior film “The Call,” and at eighty-two minutes long, it does move well. The problem that I have is the use of cheap scares starting at about the ¼ mark, in which I think they tried to keep it suspenseful and on the edge of my seat, but it does not pay off. There is a ton of unrealism in the film also, for instance (minor spoiler): I know she is trying to save her son, but do you know how many other people get injured or possibly killed in this film in her task? This is a film which will not make you think and is a wild ride, so if that is what you are looking for, you may like this film. I will recommend it as a Netflix or HBO showing.