Plot
When their daughter is kidnapped by experienced nappers (Bacon and Love), the Jennings' (Theron and Townsend) turn the tables on this seemingly foolproof plan.

Release Year: 2002

Rating: 6.0/10 (12,743 voted)

Critic's Score: 42/100

Director: Luis Mandoki

Stars: Kevin Bacon, Charlize Theron, Courtney Love

Storyline
When their daughter is abducted and taken for ransom by a gang of serial kidnappers, a young doctor and his wife find themselves held hostage while a 24-hour plan to extort their money is set into motion. Now, with time running out and the health of their asthmatic daughter at serious risk, they find themselves in a life-and-death race against the clock as the "perfect crime" begins spiraling towards an unthinkable, terrifying and deadly conclusion.

Writers: Greg Iles, Greg Iles

Cast:
Charlize Theron - Karen
Courtney Love - Cheryl
Stuart Townsend - Will
Kevin Bacon - Hickey
Pruitt Taylor Vince - Marvin
Dakota Fanning - Abby Jennings
Steve Rankin - Hank Ferris
Garry Chalk - Agent Chalmers
Jodie Markell - Mary McDill
Matt Koby - Peter McDill
Gerry Becker - Dr. Stein
Andrew Airlie - Holden
Randi Lynne - Hotel Operator
Colleen Camp - Joan Evans
J.B. Bivens - Gray Davidson

Taglines: Fear Strikes Back.

Release Date: 20 September 2002

Filming Locations: Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office Details

Budget: $30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $3,210,765 (USA) (22 September 2002) (2227 Screens)

Gross: $6,916,869 (USA) (13 October 2002)

Runtime: 106 min

Trivia:
Originally, the film was meant to take place in the south, but because of filming locations, it was changed to Seattle.

Goofs:
Continuity: The necktie that covers Karen's eyes starts with the thicker part over her right eye. When they stop to get out of the car, the tie flips.

Quotes:
Abby: Will you wiggle your wings after you takeoff?
Will: Better watch and see!

A solid, fast-paced thriller.

Rating:

Rating: *** out of ****

One of the more pleasant surprises of the year, Trapped stars Kevin Bacon as a clever kidnapper who gets more than he bargained for when he and his partners (Courtney Love and Pruit Taylor Vance) hold a rich couple's (Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend) daughter for ransom. Director Luis Mandoki knows how to pile on the tension to this chilling premise, delivering genuine suspense and thrills every minute without losing momentum. The story even holds a few decent surprises that caught me slightly off-guard, if not necessarily shocked.

As well-tuned as the direction was, what impressed me the most were the performances. The central story focuses on Theron and Bacon, and both make for one of the more effective protagonist/antagonist duos in recent memory. Dakota Fanning also shines as the kidnapped daughter; this is one of the best performances from a child actor all year (the other is from Fanning herself in the miniseries Taken). Stuart Townsend and Courtney Love aren't as effective as Theron and Bacon, but come through with solid performances.

Trapped is still a very flawed movie, considering the script is hardly original and the subject matter itself is a little unsavory and disturbing. The tit-for-tat matches between kidnapper and hostage can get a little repetitive, but the fact that it revolves around three pairings does add more tension to the proceedings. Still, the movie nicely builds to its thrilling conclusion, a climactic sequence that is a bit overdone but nonetheless exciting. It's a pity Trapped was ignored at the box office, since it's easily far superior to recent similarly plotted kidnapped thrillers such as Don't Say a Word or Along Came a Spider.

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