Kidnap

Kidnap follows Halle Berry’s Karla Dyson as she embarks on a frantic pursuit after her son (Sage Correa’s Frankie) is abducted, with the narrative predominantly detailing the almost real-time chase that ensues between Karla and the kidnappers (Chris McGinn’s Margo and Lew Temple’s Terry). Filmmaker Luis Prieto kicks Kidnap off with a fairly interminable stretch revolving around Karla’s exploits within the diner in which she works, with the character’s exasperated encounters with several rude customers certainly establishing a less-than-compelling atmosphere – although, admittedly, such complaints are rendered moot once Frankie is violently taken by McGinn and Temple’s respective figures. The fast-paced car chase that follows is far more engrossing and exciting than one might’ve anticipated, as Prieto infuses this stretch with a high-octane and frequently over-the-top feel that certainly proves quite difficult to resist. (The silly, almost campy emphasis on Karla’s conversations with herself during the pursuit often threaten to cancel out the intense vibe, however.) And although the remainder of the picture suffers from a fairly hit-and-miss quality, Kidnap generally manages to keep things interesting for the duration of its brief-yet-somehow-not-brief-enough running time – with the novelty of the movie’s Speed-but-with-an-abduction feel generally (and ultimately) compensating for its proliferation of less-than-accomplished elements.

**1/2 out of ****