Ostaggi eccellenti

This film had quite a bit of action and a good cast. I was especially impressed with the plot twist at the end. Overall, its nothing incredible.... But, Dennis Hopper still did a great job in this one. Hopper's eccentric characterization of "J.D." was pretty awesome -- it made this direct-to-video film rate above average (in my opinion, anyways).

How many times can character "J. D." say Ef You in a movie? Were they going for a record here?

Aging dolls Joan Van Ark and Morgan Fairchild are brought in for name recognition. They get 3 lines each! And there is no epilogue after the mastermind behind the crime is revealed.

Interesting plot, good story line. But the movie just drags on with Hopper cursing and swearing. It could have been much, much better.

5 stars out of 10, only because the suspense is good.

Held For Ransom starring Zachery Ty Bryan, Jordan Brower, and Randy Spelling, among others is set in the swamps of Florida. It centers around five high school students whose school bus is hijacked on the way home when they are the last of the passengers. The five teenagers taken off the bus, tied up, and taken deep into the swamps to a small house where they are to be held hostage. The kidnappers take an instant disliking to their male hostages. While the girls are untied, the three boys have their hands tied behind their backs the entire movie. The boys spend more than a few scenes locked in a small, hot shed. Bryan is even threatened with an alligator. The film has a basically good story. However, it is ruined by frequent use of foul language.

A strait to video release, you have to give it some credit. HELD FOR RANSOM is based on the Lois Duncan novel and you can obviously tell that it is a low-budget film. But the fact that it was based on a book helped give it some more famous actors to star in the film.

The film was a little suspenseful you have to admit, but I still don't understand why everyone hated this movie so. I mean, we get to see Tsianina Joelson strip down to her bra and panties. No, but seriously the film was pretty enjoyable for me. It is very realistic as to what some people might do in a hostage situation. It is somewhat different from the book as the film takes place in the sweltering Everglades and the book is in the icy cold mountains.

I seriously didn't think it was that bad. HELD FOR RANSOM gets 4/5.

This movie is certainly not a box office wonder, however it is relatively entertaining. As someone who has seen their fair share of movies that should never under any circumstances been viewed by the public, I can say that this movie is not one of them. The plot is fairly well contrived, with a delightful twist at the end that I was not expecting. The actors do a fair job, not worthy of an Oscar, but tolerable. The suspense is believable, I in fact found myself yelling at Bruce to run. It can suck you in if you go into it, not expecting to see the greatest thriller of all times, but simply...well I guess the best way to describe it is Hallmark Hall of Fame quality, only its a thriller, not a drama, and there is no cheesy love lesson at the end.