Trapped (2002)

Director:

Luis Mandoki

Writers (WGA):

Greg Iles (novel)
Greg Iles (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 September 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Fear Strikes Back.

Plot:

When their daughter is kidnapped by experienced nappers (Bacon and Love), the Jennings' (Theron and Townsend) turn the tables on this seemingly foolproof plan.

Plot Keywords:

Ransom | Shot In The Chest | Punched In The Face | Writing In Blood | Neighbor Neighbor Relationship

Cast

Charlize Theron	...	Karen
Courtney Love	...	Cheryl
Stuart Townsend	...	Will
Kevin Bacon	...	Hickey
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Marvin
Dakota Fanning	...	Abby Jennings
Steve Rankin	...	Hank Ferris
Gary Chalk	...	Agent Chalmers (as Garry Chalk)
Jodie Markell	...	Mary McDill
Matt Koby	...	Peter McDill
Gerry Becker	...	Dr. Stein
Andrew Airlie	...	Holden
Randi Lynne	...	Hotel Operator
Colleen Camp	...	Joan Evans
J.B. Bivens	...	Gray Davidson

Also Known As:

24 Hours (USA) (working title)
24 Stunden Angst (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and sexual content.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:18 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Chile:14 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (No. 38424) | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

Originally the movie was going to be entitled "24 Hours", but the title was changed to avoid confusion with the Fox TV show "24" (2001).

Goofs:

Continuity: While Will and Cheryl are in the plane, Will partially removes his headset. In the next shot, it is gone. In the next shot it is partially on again.

Quotes:

Cheryl: You're in a whole new world Dr. Jennings

Movie Connections:

Features "The Simpsons" (1989)

A solid, fast-paced thriller.

Rating: *** out of ****

One of the more pleasant surprises of the year, Trapped stars Kevin Bacon as a clever kidnapper who gets more than he bargained for when he and his partners (Courtney Love and Pruit Taylor Vance) hold a rich couple's (Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend) daughter for ransom. Director Luis Mandoki knows how to pile on the tension to this chilling premise, delivering genuine suspense and thrills every minute without losing momentum. The story even holds a few decent surprises that caught me slightly off-guard, if not necessarily shocked.

As well-tuned as the direction was, what impressed me the most were the performances. The central story focuses on Theron and Bacon, and both make for one of the more effective protagonist/antagonist duos in recent memory. Dakota Fanning also shines as the kidnapped daughter; this is one of the best performances from a child actor all year (the other is from Fanning herself in the miniseries Taken). Stuart Townsend and Courtney Love aren't as effective as Theron and Bacon, but come through with solid performances.

Trapped is still a very flawed movie, considering the script is hardly original and the subject matter itself is a little unsavory and disturbing. The tit-for-tat matches between kidnapper and hostage can get a little repetitive, but the fact that it revolves around three pairings does add more tension to the proceedings. Still, the movie nicely builds to its thrilling conclusion, a climactic sequence that is a bit overdone but nonetheless exciting. It's a pity Trapped was ignored at the box office, since it's easily far superior to recent similarly plotted kidnapped thrillers such as Don't Say a Word or Along Came a Spider.