This movie. While I was researching this movie, I found out that this finished project was stored in the shelf for three years as Relativity Media was facing their financial crisis and was filing for bankruptcy. Here's the thing: ransom/kidnapping movies are inconsistent because sometimes the villain's antics do not make sense or the villain itself is not memorable, or the main character's logical plan to get his/her child goes "bananas". I had to admit that I was a bit skeptical about this movie because I have not seen Halle Berry in a main role in quite a while. Even though there are cheesy elements that I partly enjoyed, this movie felt like a throwback to B-movie-level kidnapping cliched fun but the production and the logic behind the movie and the plot respectively are ridiculous that I could not even give it the benefit of the doubt.
Karla Dyson (Halle Berry) is a single mother of her son, Frankie (Sage Correa), as she works as a diner waitress to support herself and her child despite fighting custody battle with her estranged husband. They both stop by at a carnival and they have fun until Karla has to leave him alone with the other kids to make a phone call with her lawyer. When she comes back, Karla finds her son missing and his voice recorder behind. However, she sees a woman dragging Frankie violently into the car and as she leaves her phone behind, Karla is on hot pursuit.
And, that will end my summary because the whole movie is a hot pursuit and a lengthy chase scene. I know people will make an argument that Mad Max: Fury Road is a lengthy chase scene but there was character development, an ongoing story, better editing and action. This movie is noise and action throwing logic out the window and it is a worrying mother costing money for the city and I was hoping that all of the other drivers had insurance. The movie tries to cross over cheesy action and drama but throws in a PDA scene with missing children flyers in the police station that felt overdone and maybe could have been supplied as a deleted scene on the DVD or Blu-ray because we already know from Halle Berry's character's point of view how the stakes are that her child will be gone for good.
I will give Berry props to being so committed in her performance because she is a mother in reality and it is scary for having a child in peril. But, that is a great Segway to my main criticism that has frustrated me a bit from the many movies I watched: when a child is in danger for most of the movie, there is not much suspense, you have to depend on the story, the performances and the characters' motives to getting the child back. Well, it lacks in two of the three factors. The story is straight-forward with predictability that feels trapped in itself with a low-budget production with some of the worst editing of the year, for example, when an event happens, the movie flickers with the black screen and it turns into a trailer. Also, the motives do not make sense and its conclusion is thrown away with a last-minute message. It should have stayed on the shelf or maybe shipped it as a direct-to-DVD or Blu-ray. It could have been cheesy fun but it was plainly forgettable.
*1/2
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