In the movie kidnapped, Halle Berry lived every mom’s worst nightmare; having their child taken from them in the blink of an eye. While the concept makes for an interesting storyline for a thriller film, the plot never fully develops which is what ultimately makes this film an epic fail. According to producers the film was originally made in 2014 and set to be released in theaters in early 2015. However, the movie was pushed back several times and it took nearly four years for the film to make it to the big screen. Here are few reasons why we believe that it should have stayed on the shelf:
Poorly Developed Storyline
In the movie, Halle Berry plays Karla a recently divorced single mom who is fighting for custody of her son while working a meager job as a waitress in Louisiana. In the movie, we never actually get to see her ex-husband but we do know that he has a new younger girlfriend who is in medical school. Perhaps this storyline with her ex-husband could have been more realistic if we actually had the chance to see him in a scene or two. While at a local fair, Karla turns her head for one minute to answer a call from her attorney. When she turns around she sees the human traffickers putting her son into the van. This scene is quite confusing for some because we wonder how she didn’t hear the commotion of the kidnappers taking her kid when she was just a few steps away.
Once Karla realizes that her kid has been kidnapped she goes right into panic mode which is quite normal. She hops into her minivan and proceeds to chase the kidnapper’s car. What’s incredibly frustrating is that as soon as she began pursuing the kidnappers she loses her cellphone. Now we know that there is no way she can’t call the police for help anytime soon. At one point she almost crashes her car because she is busy trying to write down the color of the car. The car is green! How hard could that be to remember? The majority of the movie takes place on the highways of Louisiana. During the chase, Karla shouts and pleads with things that can’t talk back to her like the radio, other cars on the road, and billboards. She even shouts at a random confused passerby to call 9-1-1. It’s actually quite comical. Although it’s normal for any parent in that situation to be panic, Karla’s natural desperation just doesn’t come off as natural human behavior. This is perhaps where Halle Berry loses us all in this film.
No Twists Or Surprises
What’s a movie without any twists, turns, and surprises that will leave us wondering how did we manage to miss it. In the movie Kidnapped, there were plenty of opportunities to throw a curveball or two into the plot to add another layer of suspense but the writers failed to deliver. Things that were teased early in the movie such as the grueling custody battle that Karla was in with her ex turned out to be nothing but mere gibberish.
Berry’s Performance Is Good But Not Great
As an Oscar-winning actress, most of us expected Halle Berry’s delivery to be better than it actually was. Throughout the entire film, she’s full throttle and determined to get her son back even to the point of causing a major accident on the highway and leaving behind a trail of bodies. Several critics of the film believe that Berry’s performance is mediocre at best and quite cheeky.
Lack Luster Ending
A fifty-minute car chase leads Karla to some abandoned-looking house and barn where Karla ends up finding that the traffickers are holding several other kids as hostages. She tiptoes around the house for about fifteen minutes, mumbling to herself the whole time as if she wants the assailants to know that she is there. Karla gets into a showdown underwater but because the camera work is so shoddy we don’t get a clear picture of what’s happening all we know is that Karla miraculously is the last one standing. In the last scene, Karla is being acknowledged and congratulated for breaking up a child abduction ring that spanned over the three states.
Conclusion
It’s hard to believe that this film made it to theaters. It should have gone straight to TV or a streaming platform. Halle Berry’s mediocre performance combined with bad writing made Kidnapped one of the worst movies of her career.car chase
Follow Us
