Kidnapped

Well, to start with, this version of kidnapped hasn't got much in common at all with the book.

That being said, it is a masterpiece in its own right. Unlike most movies, this one is not made to gratify cravings for thrilling immature romance, gory fight scenes, or political ax-grinding.

And it is not dull.

What drives this movie is its content. The real running theme throughout the movie is what men give their lives for.

It's odd, but it has the most peculiarly uplifting execution scene. Very strange.

This is an excellent movie in its own right and seems to be quite faithful to the book. There are elements of the movie that do not show up in RLS's Kidnapped, but there is a sequel, entitled David Balfour, which I have yet to read. I imagine that some of ragmop's complaints of inaccuracy may be answered by this book. My one suggestion would be for the viewer to do a little studying of the this period of Scottish history, as this will help make the movie flow better.

As others have mentioned, this movie is made even better by the fact that it is even suitable for young children to watch. It would be nice if filmmakers followed this movie's example and made more action and adventure movies that are really safe for the entire family.

Although this version of "Kidnapped" has a lot of swashbuckling energy going for it, there are major points in its disfavor. As other commentators have written, it adds in all sorts of needless superfluous plots that weaken Stevenson's tale. The army office Reid did not appear in RLS's novel, nor did Flora McDonald, nor did the girl with whom Davie falls in love. Yes, David Balfour does fall in love in Stevenson's sequel "Catriona," but with a different girl.

In addition, Ireland does *not* look like Scotland. Nor does Armande Assante, for all his swashbuckling, look like RLS's description of Alan Breck, which was based upon historical fact. True, the movie is beautifully photographed, and the few portions that do homage to Stevenson's novel are well done. But in many respects, this film owes rather little to that novel.

The only film version that respects the novel is the Walt Disney version. That one is not yet available on DVD. Go figure.

This version of Kidnapped boasts the best cast yet, led by Armand Assante, Brian McCardie (Rob Roy), Brendan Gleeson (Braveheart), David Kelly (Waking Ned Devine) and a brilliant portrayal by Patrick Malahide as Uncle Ebenezer. It moves along smoothly and quickly and never drags. It was filmed in Ireland which fills in perfectly for Scotland. Although it looks exactly like Scotland, I wonder why they didn't film there; production costs I'm guessing. At any rate, production values are superb, the music score is fine and director Ivan Passer did an exceptional job. McCardie is perfect as David Balfour and is adept at both serious and comical scenes. Assante is as good a swashbuckler as ever there was. I've been waiting for years for this to come out on DVD and now it has arrived (1/2007). I very highly recommend this film.

Armand Assante turned in a superb performance as a Scottish loyalist in Robert Louis Stevenson's "Kidnapped." Mr. Assante was totally credible in his role as a man who would stick to the principles of truth, justice, and loyalty that the author highlighted in the novel. Any fan of Robert Louis Stevenson must definitely see this outstanding motion picture.