Trapped (2002)

To me, this movie is perfection.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The Jennings' fight for their daughters life after she is kidnapped by an experienced gang of thieves. Despite efforts from it's talented cast 'Trapped' follows the familiar 'same old, same old' storyline that all those 'kidnap' films have like one is soft, the other is a cold son of a b*tch and the first helps the victims take back their child and blah blah nothing interesting or even remotely good. (0/10)

A decent thriller with superb performances from the major players, but it just fizzled in the end. An amazing performance from Dakota Fanning and the surprising Courtney Love could not elevate this movie into the top notch category. Kevin Bacon as usual plays the disturbed, sicko bad guy and does it as well as anyone. Charlize Theron also did a great job and she is maybe one of the most photogenic actresses of her time. Everything was there for this to be a memorable and unforgettable movie, but unfortunately, the director missed too many opportunities to create and build the tension to a level where you could not wait for the bad guy to meet his end. It never reached boiling point, the intensity just was not there, and you are left wondering what could have been.

Trapped is a taught little thriller. It combines a strong cast of characters with a well designed plot and an explosive ending. If movies were like food, this one would be a mouthwatering cheeseburger that tastes as good as it looks.This is a story about a trio of kidnappers and the fifth family they've targeted. The scheme is wonderfully smart and simple. The victims are always rich families with one young child. When the dad leaves homes for some reason, Joe (Kevin Bacon) and his subservient cousin Marvin (Pruitt Taylor Vince) grab the kid. While Joe stays with the mom, Marvin takes the kid to a separate location. Joe's wife Cheryl (Courtney Love) then sidles up the dad and informs him of what's going on. Joe has the mom wire $250, 000 dollars to the dad, who then gives the money to Cheryl. Once that's done, Marvin releases the child and the kidnappers disappear. It all happens in the course of 24 hours with Joe phoning his partners every 30 minutes or the kid dies. The swiftness of the plan helps prevent the authorities from becoming involved and it eliminates the need for a traditional ransom exchange where most kidnappers get caught.The first four times they did it, it worked out perfectly for the kidnappers. The fifth time…not so much. The mom (Charlize Theron) is bit too smart and ingenious for Joe to handle. The dad (Stuart Townsend) is a little more bold and assertive than Cheryl can deal with. Their little girl (Dakota Fanning) has severe asthma, which complicates the whole scenario. Worst of all, this abduction isn't just business. Joe, Cheryl and Marvin have something personal against this family, something that causes them to break their own rules and put everything in jeopardy.Now, I suppose you could subtract a few points from Trapped for its use of childhood asthma as a plot device. That's become a well worn cliché for this sort of film. The ending of the movie, while pretty effective, is also quite over-the-top and not in tune with the rest of the story. The explanation for why the previous four families victimized by the kidnappers didn't call the police after it happened doesn't hold water. And there's one moment when a twist gets pulled out of the screenwriter's behind to get over a important plot hump. Those are only minor quibbles, though, in an otherwise well written movie.Charlize Theron and Kevin Bacon carry the film with a couple of very entertaining performances. The mental and emotional struggle between Joe and the mom is both dramatic and believable. Bacon portrays Joe as this creepy paradox of professional detachment at war with his baser impulses. He's come up with a kidnapping plan that's supposed to ensure no one has to get hurt, yet makes a habit of forcing the mothers to have sex with him to keep their children safe. Theron's work as the mom is just as striking, letting us see her self-control battling with her overpowering concern for her child.And outside of that one exception, the plot twists in the story are also perfectly calibrated. There are just enough snags that develop in Joe's plan to keep you wondering how it's going to turn out, without having things spin implausibly out of control. It's always a challenge in this kind of tale to keep the problems that develop from being so obvious that the villain seems like an idiot for not anticipating them. Yet, if the bad guy is too smart, his mistakes and errors have to become so unlikely and improbable that it makes the whole thing feel contrived.Trapped is good piece of entertainment and well worth seeing.

While we have superior acting in this film, the ending kills the picture. It relies too heavily on a final chase scene by aircraft into a crowded highway. The results are most astounding in a film with an excellent plot.Kevin Bacon, Courtney Love and Pruitt Vance play a threesome engaged in kidnappings. They've done it 4 times, but in this one, Bacon has an ulterior motive.This kidnapping is destined to have problems from the very beginning. The child victim is severely asthmatic.As stated there is some fine acting here, by Charlize Theron as the mother turning the tables on Bacon, Courtney Love, as Bacon's wife, vulnerable, but vicious, until she realizes what her husband is really up to.Had they worked around the ending, the picture would have even been better. After all,Bacon played a cool, calm character throughout the early part of the film.