Directed by Thomas Sieben, Netflix’s “Kidnapping Stella” is a German movie that follows the kidnapping of a girl and how she manages to come out of the clutches of the two of her masked kidnappers.
In the beginning, we see two guys named Vic and Tom (we get to know the names later in the film and also the fact that they met in prison and hatched a plan of kidnapping) stealing a car, changing the license plate of the vehicle, and buying random stuff at a hardware store.
They both then proceed to an isolated apartment and start making a room soundproof before heading to a forest and sticking a red cloth to a tree.
Well, these few initial minutes in the film give it a promising start. The silence and almost no dialogues make the scenes intriguing.
The story then moves as they modify their van and wait for their target in the broad daylight. As soon as we see the third character on screen, a girl named Stella Martins, the kidnappers snatch off her from the street and take her into the apartment. She will remain inside the apartment for the most part of the film, as Vic and Tom take photos of her to send to Stella’s father for the ransom money.
“Kidnapping Stella” has a nice plotline, the performance of the three actors are also good – however, the film lacks in characterization. There is no attempt to give more details. Nevertheless, there is a decent amount of tension and thrill with personal equations and a few twists.
From the positive side, the film suggests that both the kidnappers had a carefully laid out plan for the abduction, which was quite believable on screen. It also shows how Stella uses her limited power and awareness of the situation to save herself from the abductors. Filming is very professional, and the length is not at all lengthy.
Probably, with a little better production value, the film could have been better. If you like films of the fast-paced crime thriller genre, you might give it a go.
On a side note, if you have watched “The Disappearance of Alice Creed”, then there is no point in watching this one. “Kidnapping Stella” is nothing but a remake of this 2009-released British thriller written and directed by J Blakeson.
Kidnapping Stella – Watch the Trailer (English dubbed)
Starring: Max von der Groeben, Jella Haase and Clemens Schick
Director: Thomas Sieben
Genre: Thriller
Country: Germany
Language: German
Release/Streaming Date: Jul 12, 2019 (Netflix)
Would you like to share more about the film “Kidnapping Stella”? Please write in the comment section below. Meanwhile, how about reading another 2019 Netflix film – “Point Blank”?
