TRAPPED
US, 2002, 106 minutes, Colour.
Charlize Theron, Courtney Love, Stuart Townsend, Kevin Bacon, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Dakota Fanning.
Directed by Luis Mandoki.
Trapped is based on the novel, Twenty- Four Hours, by Gregory Iles who collaborated on the screenplay. Decision is by Luis Mandoki, Mexican director who is best known for his films in the US. They are rather different from this one, generally emotional dramas, comedy and serious, White Palace, When a Man Loves a Woman, Born Yesterday, Message in a Bottle.
This is an abduction thriller. Kevin Bacon, once again, is a convincingly sneering villain. He is seen with an abduction plan in the opening of the film and the main action of the film is the carrying out of the plan to kidnap Dakota Fanning (who was to be kidnapped in Man on Fire and rescued by Denzel Washington). The parents are Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend. Courtney Love is his accomplice, as is Pruitt Taylor Vince as his cousin.
The advertisement says: “It was the perfect plan until she refused to be the perfect victim.” This means that the rigour of the plan, tested four times before this particular action, depended on Bacon and his rules. However, he overlooked the fact that the little girl was an asthmatic, underestimated the fire in Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend.
Most of the film is a tense drama about the abduction, about the sexual pressure that Bacon puts on Theron, of Courtney Love menacing Stuart Townsend. However, the final ten minutes go beyond credibility. To save the little girl from possible death, Townsend lands a light plane on a freeway with consequent crashes and mayhem.
Apart from this, the film works quite well as a tense drama and thriller.
1.The impact of the abduction theme? The threats to families? The thriller aspects, dramatic interrelationships?
2.The settings, Oregon, the cities, wealthy homes, the roads, the hospital? Aerial shots? The score?
3.The title, with reference to Karen and William, with reference to Abigail, with reference to the kidnappers? The climax and the couple turning the tables on the kidnappers?
4.The plausibility of the plot, the scheme for kidnapping, the strict rules, the four successes? The visualising of the first kidnapping during the credits, the black and white style, hand-held camera to give a sense of emergency? Preparation for the abduction of the Jennings child?
5.The portrait of Joe, the revelation about the background of his daughter’s death, his blaming the hospital, the doctors? The decision to kidnap children? His reliance on Marvin, his cousin, Marvin and his devotion to the little girl? Cheryl, her believing Joe, the information from the hospital? Her participation in the plans? Their characters, madness, sense of menace? Cheryl and her violence? Marvin prepared to be violent but with a soft heart? Joe and his relentlessness, sexual menace towards Karen?
6.Karen and William, their home, William as a successful doctor, their wealth, his art collection? His pharmaceutical experimentations, his speech? His flying to the convention?
7.Her strength, her love for her daughter? The immediate reaction to the abduction? To Joe in the house? Violence, tension, the gun? Joe and his persuading her that she had to follow his rules, the regular phone calls, the reassurance to Marvin and Cheryl?
8.Abigail, her age, precocious? Her asthma, breathing? The crisis? The phone calls – Joe allowing Cheryl to go, blindfolded? The medicines and the remedy?
9.Marvin, his looking after Abby, the phone calls, television, the doll, his doing the carving for her? Playing the games, preparing the meals? Her running away, his catching her? The late phone call and his thinking he had to kill her? Driving her to the rendezvous, letting her go? His finally standing on the road?
10.William, the speech, Cheryl approaching him in the corridor, his rejection? Her going into the room, the threats? The gun, the phone calls? His desperation, hitting her (and Joe letting him hear his hitting Karen in the car)? The pressure on Cheryl, his medication, injecting her, paralysis? Her change of heart? Giving him the information? His wanting to trace the phone calls?
11.Karen, at home, desperate, the sexual advances, her reaction, getting the knife, threatening Joe? The phone calls? Going to rescue Abby?
12.William and the plane, turning off the engine, with Cheryl? Getting the advantage over Joe? Joe and his not wanting to kill Abby, wanting to take her and adopt her? Desperation on the road, with the money, with Cheryl?
13.The landing of the plane, the crashes and mayhem on the road, the burning car? The injuries? The final confrontations, Karen shooting Joe? Cheryl and Marvin surviving? The family being reunited?
14.The neighbour, her coming to the house, Karen’s explanation of the affair, her believing it and watching it?
15.A credible family, credible situation – and the role of abductions and ransoms in contemporary crime?
