Stolen

Directed by Simon West, Stolen follows Nicolas Cage’s Will Montgomery as he attempts to start his life over after serving an eight-year stretch for armed robbery – with complications ensuing as an old cohort (Josh Lucas’ Vincent) resurfaces with a kidnapping plot involving Will’s teenage daughter (Sami Gayle’s Alison). For the most part, Stolen comes off as an almost astonishingly generic thriller that’s rife with familiar, hackneyed elements – with the movie’s less-than-engrossing feel exacerbated by a palpable lack of thrills or excitement. It’s worth noting, however, that West does manage to pepper the proceedings with a handful of engaging moments (eg Will dislocates his thumb to get out of handcuffs), which ensures that Stolen generally remains watchable for the duration of its brisk running time (ie as far as contemporary Cage thrillers go, one could certainly do a whole lot worse than this). There’s little doubt, too, that the supporting performances inject a fair amount of color into the otherwise drab proceedings, with, especially, Lucas’ gleefully over-the-top and hilariously larger-than-life turn standing as one of the movie’s few clear (and consistent) highlights. (Lucas’ work stands in sharp contrast to Cage’s disappointingly subdued performance, as the material seems to be crying out for the actor’s typically unhinged persona.) By the time the absurdly broad finale rolls around (ie it feels as though it belongs in an ’80s slasher movie), Stolen has certainly established itself as an erratic endeavor that is, for the most part, just barely passable – with the film’s limited theatrical release, as a result, hardly surprising.

**1/2 out of ****