This John Singleton-directed action thriller Abduction is not the one that will keep you on edge till the last moment. And even if it does a bit, it still lacks the frame with a comically over-simplified backstory. I wonder what the director of Boyz N the Hood is trying to do with such an ensemble of reliable actors.
As the film stars Taylor Lautner, to me, it seems probably the filmmaker somehow wants to capitalize on the extraordinary success of The Twilight Saga (film series) in which Lautner plays the character, Jacob Black. To sum it up, even before explaining it further, we can say that neither the subject matter, which seems familiar to some other movies nor the acting of its leads is anything special.
The story of Abduction revolves around a school kid Nathan Harper (Taylor Lautner) who has been living an uneasy life with feelings of unfamiliar surroundings, somehow tempted by his recurring nightmares. As an 18-year-old school-going kid he lives with his parents Kevin (Jason Isaacs) and Mara (Maria Bello).
Watch the Movie Trailer – ‘Abduction’
One day at school, he has been asked to pair up with his classmate Karen Murphy (Lily Collins) for a research project on missing children in his locality of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While researching on the subject, they stumble upon a website with some missing children and to Nathan’s surprise, an image of himself as a little missing boy.
This is the moment when he realizes that all these years his fear of being an outsider in the home he has been living is, in fact, true. Just before he tries to confront this reality with his parents (he even did with her mother), he finds his home attacked by gunmen eventually leaving his parents dead and forcing him to flee the scene with her classmate Karen.
What’s next is all an extension to the story which doesn’t hold much credit to generate any thrill till the end. Even if ‘Abduction’ is an action thriller, although the makers didn’t put it as a suspense thriller – probably for obvious reasons, the action sequences are not going to impress you much.
Moreover, there are not many great things to say about Lautner either. His acting looks clumsy and inept to leave any impact on the screen. Overall, a very dull movie but you may watch it on a lazy weekend while drinking a bottle of beer or a glass of cocktail, but if you prefer coffee or tea better read a book or simply try some other action or suspense thriller movies.
Directed by John Singleton
Written by Shawn Christensen
Cast: Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello, Sigourney Weaver, Michael Nyqvist, and Dermot Mulroney.
Release Date/Year: September 23, 2011 (United States)
Where to watch Abduction (2011)
