Carjacked

This one of those rare gems that does almost everything right in a very straight forward manner. The beginning is underscored with a sublime intensity and continues to surprise throughout with twists and turns you can't see coming. Nothing is "Over-the-top". It's a simple film with a good yarn, and since I was expecting less that I was rewarded with, I am grateful for all the professional effort and talent that went into making this film. Honestly, I rate it at 5.8 overall. But with what I wasn't expecting to have happen, I would give it a 6.1. I believe it will end up averaging 4.9 to 5.2 or so. Hope I'm wrong. Directing, acting and dialog (often editing) is usually what kills a movie. This one did all of them rather well. Worth a watch I believe!

It's good to see Stephen Dorff in a good movie once in a while. And he has a good partner in Maria Bello. Of course she plays the main character in the movie. Still it is one heck of a good show Stephen lays out there. The movie does work for most of its running time (2/3 I'd say, the last third being a "bit" OTT for my liking), even though you're wondering why Maria does some of the things she's doing.

Still the last parts of the movie might ruin it completely for you, unless you are looking for it to go completely crazy and show things that do not make any sense (in the realm of the movie that is of course). A decent effort, but nothing new

"I don't want your money, you got a car don't you...drive" Lorraine (Bello) is having a rough time. Her husband left her with her young son and she has no money. Her night begins with group therapy, then she spends the rest of the money she has on Bagel Bites and gas. It gets worse when Roy (Dorff) comes into her life. He wants a ride, and has a gun to make sure he gets one. Lorraine and her son are now forced to help him. This is a movie that could easily have been a cheesy TV drama. The fact that Bello & Dorff are the actors helps make it into a more tense and exciting thriller. This is the kind of movie that has you hooked 5 minutes in and you are tense and on the edge of your seat the entire time. Stuck between doing what you would think you would do, and what you should do keeps you thinking and engrossed the entire time. Nothing really amazing here, but one of the most tense and exciting thrillers I have seen in a while. Overall, a very good movie that won't disappoint and is very much worth watching. I give it a B+.

*Also try - Endure & Firewall

I have to say that both the actors have given the best what they could. Stephen Dorff has a class of his own and so does Maria Bello. The Only downside I could point out ,is the script. A new dimension could've been added to the story by introducing another character in the likes of Eric Roberts or Ted Danson or even Mickey Rourke. They held the movie together to the end, however, you always need the edge on a script like this. In one scene where Dorff kills his partner in crime when Bello is dumped in the car trunk watching them, could have been elaborated a further more , which adds more suspense value. Catherine Dent's character was not much explored in the movie ,as she gave a good performance as a Shrink in the flick. Last but not the least , there is no romance at all except for those cheesy conversations between the two of them. I just hope they will collaborate again with another movie and make it much more sharper and eccentric than this very predictable version .

Right from the time I read the title my expectations were low considering the length and the long term action ,or lack of, that can come from an eighty minute carjacking. The good part was that it was much more of a kidnapping of mother & son than any carjacking style. The film relied highly on it's actors considering there was only three people involved most of the time, Maria Bello was in her usual form, tough and gritty, doing whatever it took to get her & her young son to safety. Stephen Dorff's character as the "car jacker" worked well with Bello's, good enough to burn up 80 minutes of screen time and keep the viewer interested for the better part the film. I recommend it as a decent time killer, the acting is very good, and I didn't once check on the run time(something I do a lot when a film starts to drag).I give it a 8 on acting and overall a 6.