Carjacked

There is a reason why some films get a direct to video release. As it is the case here with "Carjacked", this is the kind of film that was destined to fall into mediocrity. It seems that the people behind it never believed that they could come up with something good so they didn't care that much about the final result.

I really wasn't expecting anything groundbreaking with this movie, but I still felt disappointed after seeing it. Not only that the film doesn't bring anything new, but it also incorporates some of the most annoying elements present in kidnapping movies. For an instance, the two main characters are incredibly generic. They really could have been taken out from any similar movie and put in here. On top of that you get the usual clichés of the genre and there are also some cheap thrills along the way to provide the entertainment. The film lacks suspense and can be very predictable at times not to mention the fact that some of the decisions that the characters took along the way really defied logic. Also, the directing really felt amateurish at times, especially towards the end of the movie.

Stephen Dorff is a really good actor and so is Maria Bello, but they alone cannot save this movie. Here, the script and direction doesn't allow them to put their acting skills to good use and the final result doesn't do them justice. They manage to bring some depth into their characters, but overall this is a waste of their acting talents.

In the end, "Carjacked" is not a completely bad film, but it suffers from a lack of originality and some bad directing. A below average film that should be watched with diminished expectations.

My rating: 4,5/10

I like realistic dramas/thrillers; I like to imagine that the movies that I watch could really happen in real life. This movie was so far-fetched that I found myself yelling at the television due to the lead's stupidity. "Just call the police, lady!, Just call the damn police" Without going into detail, I got sick of the movie about 45 minutes into it... The characters were very weak, and the plot was horrible.

I could have written myself if someone had asked me...I really can't imagine why people can rate this movie higher than a two or three star...Highly NOT recommended.

"I don't want your money, you got a car don't you...drive" Lorraine (Bello) is having a rough time. Her husband left her with her young son and she has no money. Her night begins with group therapy, then she spends the rest of the money she has on Bagel Bites and gas. It gets worse when Roy (Dorff) comes into her life. He wants a ride, and has a gun to make sure he gets one. Lorraine and her son are now forced to help him. This is a movie that could easily have been a cheesy TV drama. The fact that Bello & Dorff are the actors helps make it into a more tense and exciting thriller. This is the kind of movie that has you hooked 5 minutes in and you are tense and on the edge of your seat the entire time. Stuck between doing what you would think you would do, and what you should do keeps you thinking and engrossed the entire time. Nothing really amazing here, but one of the most tense and exciting thrillers I have seen in a while. Overall, a very good movie that won't disappoint and is very much worth watching. I give it a B+.

*Also try - Endure & Firewall

Boring would be an understatement. Nothing much to start with and an abrupt ending made the movie a yawwwwn. One and a half hours of drone would sum up the case. The movie didn't even live up to my already low expectations, what with the cast and all. Its another one of those "guy kidnaps girl, threatens her kid, and makes her run around town" movies.

Maria was OK and she did try to do justice to her character, but her character in itself was very weak. I don't know from where they got the kidnapper. How lamer could he get? The kidnapping fraternity was put to shame! There wasn't much to the story line either except for endless driving and idle chitter chatter to increase the runtime. More like watching a soap opera, with a few car chases. There were bits and pieces missing throughout.

Knock yourself out if you have nothing better to do during the day, but this is one movie I would not dearly recommend.

It's good to see Stephen Dorff in a good movie once in a while. And he has a good partner in Maria Bello. Of course she plays the main character in the movie. Still it is one heck of a good show Stephen lays out there. The movie does work for most of its running time (2/3 I'd say, the last third being a "bit" OTT for my liking), even though you're wondering why Maria does some of the things she's doing.

Still the last parts of the movie might ruin it completely for you, unless you are looking for it to go completely crazy and show things that do not make any sense (in the realm of the movie that is of course). A decent effort, but nothing new