Review of Kidnapped

KIDNAPPED is an odd but entertaining B-movie thriller of the 1980s, boasting a familiar cast and a plot with an odd mix of elements. The story is about a teenage girl who is kidnapped by a sleazy pornographer who plans to exploit her on film, and the efforts of her older sister to rescue her. That premise in itself makes this sound like a dark and sleazy film, but in fact it has a real lightness of touch and a lot of random comedy elements like a friendly chimpanzee and the antics of David Naughton's goofy cop/love interest. When you discover that the vulnerable teenage kidnap victim is played by a Playboy playmate it all begins to make sense. Barbara Crampton is the heroine of the piece and delivers as solid a role as ever, while Naughton cashes in on some of the same trademark vulnerability that saw him excel in An American Werewolf in London. The rest is a mix of brief action scenes, dated fashions, some romance, and lots of nudity.