Kidnapped (2010)

When a group of thugs break into a mansion in a gated community and begin terrorizing a family, it begins a night of slaughter and violence as they wage a desperate fight for survival against the madmen and their nefarious plans.This one here wasn't all that bad and actually has a lot going for it when it wants to be. One of it's many pluses is that this is quite brutal and unrelenting at times, especially in the way the family fights back at the end which is some of the most brutal carnage inflicted in this type of film. There's no shortage of blood splattered throughout the rest of the film either, and it makes the end all the more vindictive of what's transpired beforehand. That said, there's still some problems here, mainly in that the criminals aren't really given a motive at all, they just show up at the house and begin getting the money, which is terrifying in real life but still doesn't offer up any kind of explanation as to what's going on or why they're there. As well, because the middle section doesn't have a whole lot of action or attempts on the family it''s just endlessly boring as they just drive around acting tough but getting nothing accomplished. It's not that exciting and makes the film feel really padded during these times, but overall it's got enough elsewhere to really get this quite enjoyable.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language.

On what should have been a night of happiness and celebration for a Spanish family who have just moved into a luxurious house, turns quickly into a living nightmare, as three Albanian men break in and take them hostage. Demanding all their riches, the night spirals out of control when the criminals are not satisfied with what they get. When it comes to modern extremity, the first country that comes to mind is France. But now there is a new kid on the block, Spain. Delivering a film that is incredibly bleak and brutality thrives in a world where there is nothing but depressive outlooks. With dull colouring and a memorable opening, we barely get time to buckle in before the depravity starts. I've never heard of this director, but I have no doubts that I will hear from him in the future, if this film is anything to go by. Nothing is ever overdone in the film. The bleak cinematography, to the subtle soundtrack is present, but never takes over. The violence is extremely brutal and upsetting but, at no point, glorifying. The realism levels are through the roof and with incredibly authentic performances from the actors, especially the young female, the viewer is in for something thats not enjoyable or cool. It will keep you glued to your screen with suspense and graphic violence, but by the end of it, you will be glad its over. Not for the fact that its bad, but because there is only so much one person can take. At eighty one minutes, the pacing is superb and doesn't waste any time getting to the point. The family have very limited depth, but because of their horrific ordeal, we feel genuine terror, as this is something that no one deserves to experience. The villains are portrayed as real people also, with one of them being regretful, while the other two are total psychos. What I can also say was impressive, was the experiment the director used with a split screen. Seeing two events, at different locations, was an odd experience and initially I thought it would be distracting, but I thought it ended up working very well. With an unbelievable ending, that suits the mood the film was going for, Kidnapped is an absolute gem! If you can stomach extreme cinema, this one is compulsory!

So I'll start out by saying i give this film stars at all because the plot is reasonably well written, it IS very scary, and even the ending is not too far from what I think would probably happen in the real world.Having said that, I took off points for over-the-top gratuity and cameras that focused for very long periods of time on the one most disturbing part of a scene while action unfolds out of frame. Stylistically, this is Hostle-esque albeit much more believable yet with the same sense of pointless brutality (which you might see as over-the-top or a reflection of the violent criminals portrayed, I'm more the former, but some the latter).This is for sure a movie to watch either alone or with a friend who you KNOW has guts of steel, this movie is shocking and WILL make girls cry so to speak (seriously, my gf would never forgive me if I took her to see a movie even resembling this). So as I said, tread carefully and prepare to put your shocked face on, cuz you're gonna be, I guarantee it; I'm someone who is perturbed by very little in cinema, THIS PERTURBED ME. But I suppose I can't decide if it was worth watching or not, interesting, to be sure.

Just when you thought that this types of movies (that Kidnapped is a part of), might have run dry, fresh blood comes and makes things interesting again (no pun intended). I'm not the biggest fan of those movies since an Austrian took the "Funny" (Games) out of it. But this Spanish effort has a lot going for it.I liked the actors, I liked the fact that it "went places", that made it different. And while I didn't think it was perfect, the tension it builds (with simple premises) and the fact, that it stays as real as possible (but is still very violent) all build up to an exciting climax. Though I guess that might also be called one of its weakest points, by those who didn't like the movie