Not quite your average kidnapping drama in this relatively unknown film from the mid-2000s, but be prepared for intense moments. Loosely based on an actual murder case from Brazil, Pieter Jan Brugge directs an A-list cast in the story of a businessman abducted by a vengeful engineer while the businessman's wife awaits the safe return of her kidnapped husband.
Robert Redford takes on the role of the kidnapped victim, Wayne Hayes, a successful businessman whose life is rockier than most people know. We learn he had cheated on his loving wife with a younger woman and has a strained relationship with wife Eileen and their two grown children. Redford brings his usual gravitas to the role, but manages to inject a vulnerability of sorts into Wayne; demonstrating what a disadvantage he is at in the hands of his captor. However the actor brings an intelligence that combats the ideals held by his kidnapper and challenges the odds of survival at every turn in order to escape. Wayne nearly bests his captor at every chance he gets, the only resource at his disposal to try and survive.
Future Oscar winning actress Helen Mirren portrays Redford's wife, Eileen, though not quite with the same talent the British star is known for. We know very little about Eileen besides what we see from her role as wife and mother, but her background is left obscured from us. Eileen does maintain calm under the initial pressure of Wayne's kidnapping thanks to Mirren's trademark stoicism, but eventually the gravity of the situation dawns on her and Eileen begins to worry more and more. We watch as Eileen must confront the demons of her husband's infidelity which doesn't give Eileen much closure in the matter, but eases her guilt. It's truly haunting to see a strong actress like Helen Mirren break down by the film's end when she realizes what has happened to the husband she supported and loved.
Playing the role of the kidnapper is the ever reliable Willem Dafoe. Here the actor brings a restraint to the part of disgruntled former engineer Arnold Mack. There are some secrets hidden away in Dafoe's performance as throughout the film, we begin to uncover Arnold's reasons for disliking Redford's Wayne even after there is an uneasy trust built between them, but we don't quite learn exactly why Arnold has kidnapped Wayne. However it soon becomes clearer through the subtlety of Dafoe's performance and the actor's trademark intensity (which is kept low-key without ever veering into over the top) why Arnold has done what he's done and it becomes a matter of time wondering whether the desperate engineer will kill his captive, will Wayne kill Arnold or is Wayne gonna make it out? Again the narrative is based on an actual case that ended tragically. The movie does a mediocre job at replicating the events in a loose fashion, but thanks to the acting talent involved it is watchable and engaging. The dialogue between actors Robert Redford and Willem Dafoe is well written, giving small insights into their characters and ramps up the tension as we follow them further and further into the woods.
A good little thrill ride.
Robert Redford takes on the role of the kidnapped victim, Wayne Hayes, a successful businessman whose life is rockier than most people know. We learn he had cheated on his loving wife with a younger woman and has a strained relationship with wife Eileen and their two grown children. Redford brings his usual gravitas to the role, but manages to inject a vulnerability of sorts into Wayne; demonstrating what a disadvantage he is at in the hands of his captor. However the actor brings an intelligence that combats the ideals held by his kidnapper and challenges the odds of survival at every turn in order to escape. Wayne nearly bests his captor at every chance he gets, the only resource at his disposal to try and survive.
Future Oscar winning actress Helen Mirren portrays Redford's wife, Eileen, though not quite with the same talent the British star is known for. We know very little about Eileen besides what we see from her role as wife and mother, but her background is left obscured from us. Eileen does maintain calm under the initial pressure of Wayne's kidnapping thanks to Mirren's trademark stoicism, but eventually the gravity of the situation dawns on her and Eileen begins to worry more and more. We watch as Eileen must confront the demons of her husband's infidelity which doesn't give Eileen much closure in the matter, but eases her guilt. It's truly haunting to see a strong actress like Helen Mirren break down by the film's end when she realizes what has happened to the husband she supported and loved.
Playing the role of the kidnapper is the ever reliable Willem Dafoe. Here the actor brings a restraint to the part of disgruntled former engineer Arnold Mack. There are some secrets hidden away in Dafoe's performance as throughout the film, we begin to uncover Arnold's reasons for disliking Redford's Wayne even after there is an uneasy trust built between them, but we don't quite learn exactly why Arnold has kidnapped Wayne. However it soon becomes clearer through the subtlety of Dafoe's performance and the actor's trademark intensity (which is kept low-key without ever veering into over the top) why Arnold has done what he's done and it becomes a matter of time wondering whether the desperate engineer will kill his captive, will Wayne kill Arnold or is Wayne gonna make it out? Again the narrative is based on an actual case that ended tragically. The movie does a mediocre job at replicating the events in a loose fashion, but thanks to the acting talent involved it is watchable and engaging. The dialogue between actors Robert Redford and Willem Dafoe is well written, giving small insights into their characters and ramps up the tension as we follow them further and further into the woods.
A good little thrill ride.