Kidnap - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Kidnap

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Each year over 800,000 children are reported missing, which means that is roughly 2,000 PER DAY that vanish from their parents sight. Many of them are stolen by friends, family, or loved ones. However there are a goodly portion that are kidnapped by malicious people who intend to use said children for financial gain (ransom, sexual slavery, black market adoption, the list goes on), and this is probably the single most terrifying thought in a parents head when they’re trying to raise a child. Especially when you’re a single parent who can’t keep an eye on them 24/7 like you would be able to as a stay at home mom/dad. Kidnap acts as a blue collar version of Taken, with a child forcibly ripped from his mother’s care and stolen by people with less than honorable intentions. The thing is, Taken is an incredibly kinetic and action filled movie with Liam Neeson growling out intense phrases, while Kidnap is a middle of the road thriller that rides a bit too long on the premise of a mother doing whatever it takes to get her child back.

Karla Dyson (Halle Berry) is struggling to make ends meet as a newly divorced single mom, trying to pay the bills as a low paying waitress so that she can take care of herself and her young son, Frankie (Sage Correa). Her wealthy ex (who seemingly doesn’t pay child support I guess) is trying to get hold of 100% custody of the child, and while her lawyer is filling Karla in on the details of the ex husband’s demands, Frankie is literally kidnapped right under her nose. Karla is just lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the suspects as they cram her little boy into a beaten up old car and drive off. Diving into her little red minivan, the frantic parent sets out in hot pursuit for the couple and her child, driving pell mell through intersections, traffic stops, and anything else in her quest to save Frankie.

The first 20-25 minutes of the film are rather thrilling, with a high speed chase that is accompanied by the typical intense score, but its after the 25 minute mark that thing starts slowing down. There are not tense “back and forth” ransom demands like in Mel Gibson’s Ransom, or wild action scenes like Taken, but instead feel a bit more like another Gibson film, Breakdown, which stretches the 82 minute film a bit too far IMO. After the scene where the motorcycle cop is torn up and the woman kidnapper gets in the car with Karla, it feels like the movie just starts over again and redoes the same tired car chase until the third act when it is more of a vicious revenge thriller.

The movie keeps a constant forward momentum by using the idea of a near non stop car chase as the premise for most of the excitement and terseness. Even people and places are never there for more than a few seconds. We’re introduced to Karla and Frankie right off the bat, but besides that and the occasional confrontation with the two kidnappers, this is really just Halle Berry in a car swearing to god that she’s going to get her kid back. I once again have to draw an amusing parallel between Taken and Kidnap once more as the film seems to draw heavily on the Liam Neeson way of growling out one liners like “I have a particular set of skills”, but instead it’s line after line of “You messed with the wrong woman” and “Let me tell you something, as long as my son is in that car, I will not stop. Wherever you go I will be right behind you”. However, the film’s momentum can only sustain that level of excitement for so long before the car chase starts to become a bit tedious and boring. Even with the third act where Karla finds the kidnappers and upsets their little child trafficking ring, it just feels worn out and a little over drawn by the time the 82 minute film comes to a close.

Berry does a good job at keeping her character of Karla emotionally charged throughout the film, and she grounds her with humanity along the way. Giving Karla a chance to check in on the people she hits, makes sure that they’re OK, before allowing her primordial side to come out and take over in an unrelenting push towards getting her baby boy back. The rest of the people are just stand ins, as you never see them for more than a few moments before the camera is back on Berry behind the steering wheel. It’s a solidly done film, but just a little played out by the end.




Rating:

Rated R for violence and peril




Video:

Once again I couldn’t really find any information on WHAT cameras were used, or what resolution the master was done at, but it looks very clean and clear, with a decidedly digital glossy sheen to the Blu-ray. Kidnap is well detailed, with bright outdoor shots as Karla roars down the interstate, and colors pop reasonably well. There’s a little bit of a softness layer to the film as the detail doesn’t get super duper sharp, but everything looks pleasing to the eye and there isn’t a whole lot negative to save about the picture besides the fact that digital noise seems to be mildly present in just about every shot (there’s a couple shots near the end in the barn where it spikes up quite a bit, but usually the noise is never more than just a noticeable background issue). Blacks are well defined, and show good delineation and I couldn’t really detect any real issues of black crush at all.





Audio:

While the movie is OK, and the video good, the 5.1 lossless DTS-HD MA track is AMAZING. The film’s ferocity and intensity just grabs ahold of you with a killer track that just pounds the listener back into their seats from the minute Frankie gets kidnapped. The listener is right in the center of it all, hearing the rushing wind as Karla whips around cars on the freeway, or feels the forceful crash and crunch of metal during car accidents. LFE is deep and impactful, sending wave after wave of incredible bass over the listener as the sounds of car carnage and mayhem roar through all 6 channels. Vocals are still precise and clear, with the surrounds filing out nicely to create a very immersive track that really rocks HARD.
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Extras:

• A Look Inside 'Kidnap'

Final Score: ​

Kidnap is nothing super special, but it is a competently directed action/thriller that keeps a very nice sense of forward momentum and excitement throughout the short 82 minute runtime. It does feel a bit under fleshed out as a full feature film, but it works well with Halle Berry’s intensity and emotion fueling the adrenaline infused chase scenes. Universal does a good job with the Blu-ray, providing capable video scores as well as a KILLER audio track to go along with it. Extras are sadly lacking, but the film doesn’t really need that much as it is a very simple style of film that does well off of adrenaline and excitement more than intellectual dissection. Worth a decent rental.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Halle Berry, Sage Correa, Chris McGinn
Directed by: Luis Prieto
Written by: Knate Lee
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Studio: Universal
Rated: R
Runtime: 82 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 31st, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Decent Rental

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will add this to my watch list once it is available on Amazon prime/netflix.

 

[Asere]

I may have to catch this one at least for the bass

 

[Michael Scott]

the audio track is stellar, that's for sure