Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
A mother (in her Minivan) stops at nothing to recover her kidnapped son.
Kidnap is a lean, single-premise thriller that delivers on its core promise — Halle Berry's relentless mother in a minivan chase — but offers little beyond that. The plot is paper-thin and formulaic, recycling familiar kidnapping-thriller beats without meaningful subversion or depth. Berry commits fully to the role and carries the film with raw, frantic energy, elevating material that otherwise wouldn't warrant much attention. Cinematography is functional at best — the car chase sequences are serviceable but rarely stylish or inventive. Novelty is low; the concept of a parent desperately pursuing their child's kidnappers has been done many times, and this film adds no distinctive voice or craft beyond its star. The ending resolves predictably with little emotional payoff beyond relief, wrapping up too neatly for a film that had been trafficking in tension.