NOT another 'Taken' clone
Have been following the board a little and noted that many people are comparing this one to movies from the recent past. Other than the obvious "girl is taken, father searches for her" recipe... this is a cake of a different flavor.
I also noticed that Ryan Reynolds is getting hit a lot on the board. I must say that if you aren't watching this film due to his presence in it, then you are doing yourself a disservice. He isn't quite the main focus that you might think he is. Truthfully, the part that he played was adequate. I believed that he was a grieving father in the throes of said story line.
Also, the booing at Cannes?? I don't know if they reworked the flow of the film prior to releasing it wide, but I didn't find any parts that would elicit that reaction, quite frankly. It was what it was, a tense thriller / drama that had elements of kidnapping scenarios included that were somewhat reminiscent of recent releases. That in no way means that you have seen it because you watched The Captive (2014) trailer and Taken (2008) or Prisoners (2013).
I found it to be slow in some places, a.k.a. I found myself noticing the time, checking texts/email, etc. but all-in-all, not a total time waster. The main characters all had their shortcomings, and you might find yourself yelling out at the screen for how stupid they were in some parts of the movie. Any decent production can/would elicit similar emotional outbursts.
Similar story lines have been a plague on Hollywood for many years. Hollywood needs to branch out a great deal more than they do currently. The fact is, they are scared little puppies that fear more than they know. So when they can hear an allusion like this film is The Frozen Ground (2013) meets Taken (2008) and Prisoners (2013) with a twist... they get very comfortable. However, bad mouthing a film before it's release or saying you saw the trailer and the final release will suck, is just showing that you are closed minded lemming.
This movie wasn't bad but that's not to say it was great. I would have to give it a 6/10. If you have a bit of free time, you might find this one to be worth the time spent.
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There is nothing to see here