Date with a Kidnapper

Don't go into KIDNAPPED COED expecting sleazy no-budget bad film ineptitude. Frederick R. Friedel's terse, bizarre, dream-like 76-minute kidnapping-gone-wrong programmer is something of a mini-exploitation-masterpiece. It plays more like an art film, with carefully-framed tracking shots and compositions, focused on building atmosphere and silence rather than action and dialogue, and all sorts of little touches that could only come from the hands of an accomplished auteur with imagination to spare, not a talentless hack. On the minus side, the ending kinda leaves you hanging and wanting for more, and Leslie Ann Rivers' co-ed character is less fleshed out or convincing than John Canon's mummy's boy kidnapper. Canon is like the poor man's Nic Nolte--lotsa facial tics and jittery acting, but it works. If KIDNAPPING COED treads creakingly familiar path, Friedel's innovative direction turns it into something else entirely and makes it worth treasuring as a hidden gem. Cinematographer Austin McKinney also shot Friedel's AXE, the trash classic THE LOVE BUTCHER and Jack Hill's PIT STOP.

Despite some fairly decent acting and cinematography, this movie has plot holes you can drive a truck through. These guys at this hotel must just wait around for someone to check in with a woman for them to rape, as there is no other discernible motive for them coming to the room. Even after she tells them that she's the daughter of a rich man, they aren't interested in earning a reward by rescuing her, or kidnapping her themselves as far as the audience is told.

Then there's the amiable old farmer that puts the kidnapper and the girl up for the night. At first he seems to be the first truly decent person seen in this film, then, for no apparent reason, he's a psycho. First, he spies on the lovers at night and is holding a knife. You're waiting for: A. One of them to notice the old psycho pervert with a knife. B. The old psycho pervert to use the knife. C. The old psycho pervert to decide against doing anything and slink away. You don't get any of this, the scene just changes to morning, inexplicably. Then the old guy comes at the kidnapper with a pitchfork. Why? I sure can't tell. He continues to attack the kidnapper who draws a gun and gives the old guy every chance to stop attacking. When the kidnapper is finally forced to kill the old farmer, the girl goes all hysterical about him being a murderer and runs away! What was he supposed to do? Let the psycho farmer impale him on the pitchfork?

Also there's some question about what happens in the final scene. I can't really elaborate without giving away the so-called 'surprise ending', but the DVD calls the scene "Dance of Death", which leads you to wonder if any death actually took place, because, if it does, you don't see it.

I watched this hoping for a good, old-fashioned exploitation sleaze film, and it wasn't that, but it wasn't good either. Make of that what you will.

This films original title must be "the kidnapper" for the title credit reads "John Canon as", then cut to "kidnapped co-ed". LOL! Anyway, the film runs like a little independent film than a sex/exploitation film. Canon kidnaps a young redhead gal for ransom. But they encounter strange people who want them dead for some strange reason (reasons unanswered). Little violence, rape (but no nudity) might be cut for TV. There is hardly any talk and a lot of padded scene, so the script must be 30 pages long. Watch for early performance by Larry Drake. I don't know why exploitation film company Boxoffice international (well known for X to hard "R" films) pick this film up for there is no nudity or much in this film. Some good scene and the two leads are no bad in what little script offered to them.

You would never think that a movie with a name such as "Kidnapped Coed" would be so..well..boring. But, it is. There are long stretches where absolutely nothing happens! I actually shouted at the screen several times, "DO SOMETHING!" and I'm not usually that agitated. This had so much sleaze potential and it bypassed all of its opportunities. There is a violent rape scene in the first 15 minutes, but it's ineptly staged and filmed in a slapdash manner.

Several other drawbacks: the girl is plain, to be kind and there is no nudity (It may have been cut-out, but I doubt it). There's also many odd plot devices which make no sense whatsoever.

I will say that the photography is excellent and the actor that plays the kidnapper is a fairly decent thespian. The subplot regarding his trying to relate to his mother in a nursing home oddly resonated with me since I've had some experiences with my own mom. I hate myself for tearing up during "Kipnapped Coed"!

My oh my, what a terrible movie. I've rarely seen a film that starts out so promisingly and engaging but then collapses into a boring dud so darn fast! The first ten-fifteen minutes are really strong and full of excitement. A small-time thug, a loner but nevertheless reasonably clever bloke, kidnaps the young and redhead daughter of a rich man and demands a ransom. On the first night of his plan, he seeks refugee in a sleazy and practically abandoned hotel to hide out with the girl, but they are assaulted and raped by the pervert hotel owner and his drooling bellhop. This traumatic experience somehow creates an emotional bond between kidnapper and victim, a kind of messed up Stockholm Syndrome - if you will. Sadly, it also means the abrupt ending of a potentially fantastic exploitation film. From here onwards, "Date with a Kidnapper" is indescribably tedious (despite the short running time) and thoroughly unremarkable.

Many of my fellow exploitation fanatics/friends around here seemingly had a good time with Frederick R. Friedel zero-budgeted effort, and I'm happy for them, but unfortunately, I cannot concur. Friedel's other twisted flick entitled "Axe" (aka "Lisa, Lisa"), on the other hand, I found sardonically entertaining.

One noteworthy aspect about "Date with a Kidnapper" is the minuscule supportive role of Larry Drake (the really cool maniac from "Dr. Giggles" and "Darkman") as retirement home worker. Blink your eyes and you'll miss him, though.