You have to watch this movie if only for the car chase - which seems to take up at least two thirds of the screen time! This is kind of a comeback movie for Halle Berry, who hasn't really done very much in recent years. In "Kidnap" she plays Karla - a waitress who's involved in a custody dispute with her ex over their 6 year old son. After finishing work one day, Karla takes young Frankie to an amusement park, and he vanishes. Finally she catches a glimpse of him being forced into a green car - and the chase begins. And it's certainly a wild chase. Yes - wild to the point of unbelievable, but nevertheless a lot of fun to watch. The chase is wild and suspenseful and even frightening at times. It leads up to another pretty suspenseful encounter with the kidnappers at their home.
Berry did pretty well with the part. To be honest, she's the only cast member of any real significance, so a bad performance from her would have made this unbearable. But she did well enough with the part.
You know right from the start that little Frankie is going to be kidnapped, and there are a couple of points early in the movie that lead you to suspect one or another as responsible for the kidnapping. And, in the end, there's no way to predict the discovery Karla would make at the kidnappers' home.
It's a pretty unbelievable film. The writing isn't all that great, but then again in a largely one person cast there's not a lot of dialogue necessary. The car chase and the scenes at the house are enough to keep you watching. I certainly wouldn't call this a great movie - but it's fast paced and entertaining and suspenseful. Well worth watching. (7/10)
