User reviews

I consider a home invasion to be one of the most paralyzing fears existing in the dark recesses of our minds. I'm not the quiet family type either, but the mere idea of it has always made me deeply uncomfortable.

In "Kidnapped," director Miguel Angel Vivas has succeeded in bringing the horror, confusion, and chaos into full lens view of what this may look like for a well-to-do and quiet family unit. Once the stage is set and hell breaks loose, the underlying theme of this film is head-spinningly chaotic.

The film follows the archetype of many of its genre predecessors: a perfectly normal (if not mundane) opening, initial chaos, breakdown of the plan amongst its instigators, and a fitting climax. If you've already seen a bunch of similar movies and are sick to death of the formula, you can skip "Kidnapped." I'm comfortable saying you wouldn't enjoy it.

But if you are like me, and are overcome at the deeply horrifying notion of the home invasion, and you are intrigued at the ways artists bring this to the screen -- you will find something much deeper, genuine, and unsettling about this movie than in your previous pursuits.

The winning ingredient is Vivas's seamless direction, weaving an excessively intense story over twelve long cuts (no "A" and "B" cam here, folks). It contributes to an almost voyeuristic nature that the film harbors, in which you are attracted to something horrifying you are seeing with your own eyes, and cannot look away. Because of these long shots, the acting is often sustained over periods of several minutes, delivering what true and uninterrupted fear and shock may look like in this scenario. Action sometimes happens only intermittently; for example, scenes of extended quiet sobbing are ferociously punctuated by a gunshot or a threat, in a way that constantly demands the audience's attention. The cinematography, editing, and score are up to par with Vivas's vision, and rope everything together to create scenes of unbearable tension.

As far as home invasion films go, "Kidnapped" may be the most flawlessly produced film in its genre.

Unfortunately, I found the final fifteen minutes of the film to descend into a level of violence and absurdity that does not match with the rest of the film's style. The false ending and subsequent conclusion ended the film on a gimmicky platform that left a bad taste in my mouth. To explain fully, I would need to give away the ending -- but hopefully you'll see what I mean.

To the genre fan, the sloppy ending should not deter you from seeing "Kidnapped." This is an overall captivating movie, and should absolutely be on your radar.

A quick note -- seek out the Spanish-language version of this film. In order for the director's vision to shine through, you need the original dialogue. The English-version dub is awful and will take away from your viewing experience.

Jaime (Fernando Cayo), his wife Marta (Ana Wagener) and their teenage daughter Isa (Manuela Vellés) move to a dream house in Madrid and they plan a family dinner to celebrate. Out of the blue, three violent hooded thieves break in their house and hold the Marta and Isa hostage while their leader goes to the bank with Jaime to withdraw money from the family bank accounts in a tragic night of terror.

"Secuestrados" is a brutal and bleak film that combines the storyline of the 1955 "The Desperate Hours" with the disturbing violence of the 1997 "Funny Games". This film is recommended only to very specific audiences, defense lawyers and judges, since sensitive persons or someone who has experienced similar home invasion will certainly feel very bad with the graphic violence of "Secuestrados". Unfortunately we see many similar cases in the news on television every day. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Horas de Medo" ("Freightening Hours")

This is a riveting watch with some of the most excruciating violence and savagery; Hollywood could never make anything even close resembling this as it is so close to the brutal truth of the violence that is so prevalent in the world today, it will leave the viewer with morbid thoughts well after the film has finished; days after even. As one reviewer has already said, i would never let my girlfriend watch this, its definitely not a film for women, the rape scene in particular is excruciating to watch and the acting is top notch making it so realistic it made me feel a bit queasy and that is not an easy thing for me!

The problem I have however , is that there is not enough characterization and the story is your basic run of the mill home invasion; although made with a brutal reality rarely seen these days and that is what I love about Spanish/Italian/French movie making scene, they do not sanitize anything and give us something that hollywood cannot!

The closest the UK comes to this kind of movie is something like Eden Lake in its depiction of real violence on the streets and what is really going on in the world today and having been a police officer myself it is very close to the truth and mirrors what I have seen personally. Too many of us now live in leafy suburbs miles away from the violence and trouble that is destroying the world and it is a good thing to watch a movie like this to bring home the truth of things sometimes, so its an above average 6/10 from me for its pure brutal authentic style but sadly without anything else I could not justify giving it any more than that!

Tension, suspense, and unsettling scenes when a family is harassed by some dangerous criminals . Three hooded Eastern-European delinquents burst into a gated community home on the outskirts of Madrid , and forcing the father to empty his credit cards. This exciting movie deals about Jaime (Fernando Cayo of ¨23F¨) and Marta (Ana Wagener), a mature marriage with a daughter (Manuela Velles of ¨Caotica Ana¨ by Julio Medem) who holds her usual youth problems . At home they are trapped and locked by an ominous band (Barrientos , Biba, Kupier) . The family is besieged and terrorized by the psycho-killer attackers and then look for some means to getaway .

This spooky picture about some criminals holding the family hostage in its own home contains terror, shocks, suspense, grisly killings and numerous creepy scenes . The film packs terrifying and hair-raising frames and lots of blood and gore . This violent story is filmed in similar naturalist and realist style to ¨Michael Hanake's Funny Games¨, ¨Henry, portrait of a killer¨ , directed by James McNaughton and ¨Rec¨ by Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza . Shot in 12 takes with camera over shoulder and Steadicam , including splitting screen . While the look is suitable eerie and frightening, the argument spreads to the breaking point and the ending turns out to be a little frustrating . Suspenseful and thrilling musical score by Sergio Moure (Unconscious). Dark and shaded cinematography by Pedro Marquez , shot in Las Rozas , Madrid. The motion picture is strangely directed by Miguel Angel Vivas , an expert on rare atmosphere as he also proved in ¨Reflejos(2002)¨ with George Corraface , Ana Fernandez and Emilio Gutierrez Caba . It's a strong film and quite a big impact, gaining several prizes as ¨Austin Fantastic Festival¨ won Horror Jury Prize Best Director Miguel Ángel Vivas and Best Horror Feature ; ¨Bogota Film Festival¨, Nominated Golden Precolumbian Circle Best Film Miguel Ángel Vivas and ¨Camerimage¨ prizes . In spite of its violence ¨Kidnapped¨ or ¨Secuestrados¨ achieved undoubted success and important reputation .

Three hooded Eastern-European criminals burst into a home in a Madrid gated community, holding the family hostage in its own home, and forcing the father to empty his credit cards.

The opening scene is creepy and disturbing, with visuals somehow reminiscent of "Timecrimes". While the two films are worlds apart, this just sets the tone for how disturbing everything will be. And "disturbing" is the operative word, as home invasion is the most disturbing horror subgenre because of its realism.

A successful home invasion film feels real, feels like something that could really happen to any of us at any time. It is not a killer in the woods or an alien, but real criminals that can beat, kill or rape us on a whim. Such situations are rare (thankfully), but all too possible. This is, by the way, a successful one, right up there with the best (such as "Funny Games").

The biggest complaint is that there is some poor dubbing at times, especially on the daughter. But if the film is watched in Spanish with subtitles, such a nuisance can be avoided.

Well i was very excited when i went to see this film at the Leeds Film Festival, and being 'Spanglish' i really wanted to like it...

Reading the film summary i believed we, as an audience, would have to endure some very scary, intense and probably uncomfortable scenes before, finally the tables would turn and the family would have their turn to fight back. This was certainly not an accurate summary of the film. The plot was completely different.

The acting wasn't very good. The only decent actor was the daughter of the family. The father and the mother weren't very believable in their acting or their decisions throughout the film. But the worst acting award must go to the the majority of the 'bad guys' who were terrible. Just not scary or believable And the ending? Not worth watching the whole film for. Disappointing overall, i left the cinema feeling a bit cheated.

If you've ever had nightmares about a home invasion - here's where they get played out. A family moves into a new home. If you've ever moved you'll know there's something kind of creepy about the movers right away. They're too interested in exploring the house; they follow the family members around too often. They're suspicious. And they should be. That night, the family ends up being terrorized by a gang of violent thugs. What starts as a terrifying but still relatively simple robbery eventually descends into bloodshed, rape and murder as the father is forced to accompany one of the invaders into town to withdraw money from his bank account, while his wife and daughter are left at the house at the mercy of the others.

There's really no character development at all in this. The movie opens with an extremely disorienting scene of an obviously hooded, bound and kidnapped man escaping across a highway desperately looking for help, except that you figure out pretty quickly if you pay attention that this can't be the same man. The first impression given is that you're going to have a flashback movie explaining how the man came to be in this situation, but the only other explanation has to be that this guy and his family are are victims of the same gang. It's mildly disorienting at first, but it's also very obvious that whatever we're seeing at the movie's start isn't directly related to the home invasion that's portrayed. The story moves pretty quickly to the family who are the real focus of the movie. We learn little about them. They seem to be a typical father, mother and daughter. There's no particular reason for them to be targeted - which is probably the most frightening part of the movie. This sort of thing won't happen to very many people (thankfully) but when it does happen, it could literally happen to anyone.

The movie progresses (if that's the right word) from being frightening, to being violent, to being very bloody and graphic and in the end quite horrifying. It's well done. It's a Spanish movie. I watched the version dubbed into English - and even the dubbing was done fairly well. There's not really much to complain about, although I'm not sure that the scene at the beginning was really necessary. It disorients for a few minutes at most, but then it serves no real purpose. (8/10)

excerpt - How many times can a familiar plot be rehashed and remade before audiences tire of it? Formulaic retreads of stories we've seen a thousand times before clutter the cinema listings, and lack of originality is something we lament. With that in mind, Manuel Angel Vivas has charged himself with the task of breathing new life into the age-old idea of a family being held hostage in their own home. But does his conceptual staging and technical expertise make for a compelling picture or a triumph of style over substance?

Kidnapped is an easy film to admire, but a difficult one to like. All the gimmicks and trickery in the world can't disguise the fact that once the technical wizardry has been stripped away it is a pretty standard thriller. As an experience, it is unforgettable. Sadly, that experience as akin to being relentlessly bludgeoned. Hopefully, Vivas will return next time with a story which matches his undoubted skill.

Watch it to find out why i don't like it. First of all thr wasn't really any kidnapping. More of a break-in + robbery+extortion. It was intense but i don't get the beginning of the movie. And there's some details that don't make sense to me. Threres a part where they featured the girl screaming in panic for like 15mins which got on my nerves i had to fast forward it. And the last part don't make sense as well, she just stood thr. And the atm part, that took like forever. Maybe this movie was meant to be look cool and not care about the details. And definitely to confuse and irritate the audience. Well they always say that different people view pieces of art differently so this is just my view of it. Its not horribly terrible just that i like a good storyline and it wasn't what i was expecting. I thought the guy at the start was one of the robbers. Like the dad somehow found out the address and went to have his revenge of the robber's family or something.

I would have definitely gave this movie an 8 or 9 if it wasn't for that annoying daughter constantly whining and crying throughout the whole damn film. I thought I was going to have a panic attack myself listening to her. I had to mute the volume for a good portion of time. Did I mention she was annoying. Couldn't there have been some better dialogue created for her. The mom was another negative, she didn't help the film either. The dad actor didn't add to the movie nor that sissy boyfriend that showed up later in the story. It would have been better off being a silent flic. Its a good movie if yoy cannot find anything else to watch. The blood and violence was okay..better luck next time.

When a group of thugs break into a mansion in a gated community and begin terrorizing a family, it begins a night of slaughter and violence as they wage a desperate fight for survival against the madmen and their nefarious plans.

This one here wasn't all that bad and actually has a lot going for it when it wants to be. One of it's many pluses is that this is quite brutal and unrelenting at times, especially in the way the family fights back at the end which is some of the most brutal carnage inflicted in this type of film. There's no shortage of blood splattered throughout the rest of the film either, and it makes the end all the more vindictive of what's transpired beforehand. That said, there's still some problems here, mainly in that the criminals aren't really given a motive at all, they just show up at the house and begin getting the money, which is terrifying in real life but still doesn't offer up any kind of explanation as to what's going on or why they're there. As well, because the middle section doesn't have a whole lot of action or attempts on the family it''s just endlessly boring as they just drive around acting tough but getting nothing accomplished. It's not that exciting and makes the film feel really padded during these times, but overall it's got enough elsewhere to really get this quite enjoyable.

Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language.

The description indicates that it will be a more violent version of Michael Haneke's Funny Games. It will certainly be more interesting with Manuela Vellés.

One thing is certain, director Miguel Ángel Vivas does not waste time with games. The three invaders come blasting in and action starts immediately.

This is definitely a violent movie. Slicing, dicing, shooting, rape, and extreme terror. It did not, however rise to the level of movies I have seen in the past. It didn't move smoothly. It seemed liked the scenes were not connected.

The ending was expected.

A very bad attempt to make a movie like Funny Games by Haneke. I felt sorry for the actors, the acting, budget and the camera movements which were very good. But the movie is h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e. Trying so hard to "get" the audience. I had to keep the volume down after a while as it was utterly annoying. Yeah Funny Games was really catchy, lets do another one like it. DUH

The home invasion film is a well worn thriller trope, so well worn that any new entry really needs to bring something new to the table or make a harsh mark to leave any kind of a lasting effect. Miguel Angel Vivas' Kidnapped does both of these, and I can see it being a big hit for those who like their thriller cinema to really punch them out. First the something new, Kidnapped is filmed entirely in long takes, apparently 12 in all, capturing action with unblinking intensity and sometimes moving to split screen to show both sides of a particularly intense event. From the start its a great idea, leaving no room for escape or distraction, the focus is as tight as can be. And when the luckless family at the heart of the film are settling into their first day at a new home, unpacking, going through standard family arguments the camera weaves amongst them, we explore their house as they do, we become in these parts a part of their lives, things have the feel of a documentary. Performances are happily spot on, Fernando Cayo the consummate family man trying to keep everything cool and under control, Ana Wagener the stressed, more tired out mother and Manuela Veles standard issue daughter trying to go her own way. These are stock characters through and through, yet they work in echoing a timeless reality to evoke our sympathy. When vicious thieves break in, their hell becomes ours just as their earlier peace became ours and the intensity is genuinely gruelling, both actresses get put through the ringer in effectively harsh fashion and all their screams and crying become after a while really quite emotionally draining. I think the film loses a little bit for its predictability, the villains have a standard loose cannon, the hostages make various efforts to escape of varying success, there are certainly bits where we wish they would do something different, the film goes through standard motions for the typical, albeit very much heightened response. And thats why the film works so much, its incredibly intense, towards the end near heartbreakingly so, and for all that I can say I wish it was gorier (it does have nasty violence though) or more exploitative or weirder, fact is I found it an absolutely astounding ride. Highly recommended, one of the best films I've seen in a while.

Just when you thought that this types of movies (that Kidnapped is a part of), might have run dry, fresh blood comes and makes things interesting again (no pun intended). I'm not the biggest fan of those movies since an Austrian took the "Funny" (Games) out of it. But this Spanish effort has a lot going for it.

I liked the actors, I liked the fact that it "went places", that made it different. And while I didn't think it was perfect, the tension it builds (with simple premises) and the fact, that it stays as real as possible (but is still very violent) all build up to an exciting climax. Though I guess that might also be called one of its weakest points, by those who didn't like the movie

Kidnapped (2010) follows a family who are taken hostage by a group of men, in their attempts to fight back, chaos ensues. This film was pretty good! It could've had more originality to it but it was a tense and disturbing watch that I would say I liked. It reminded me a lot of Funny Games (1997).

The cinematography and colour palettes very bleak and natural, which worked well to set the mood of the film. There was a lot of handheld camerawork which gave a gritty look to the film and I also really liked the split-screen effects that were used often. In addition, it was very well lit.

My biggest criticism of this film would be that the score was a bit overbearing at times and ruined the mood. It was also quite basic and didn't add much to the experience of watching. The sound design was lacking too.

The film sets up the characters well, and all the acting is brilliant throughout. The acting being so realistic is what made this film disturbing for me, they all felt like real people. Manuela Vellés was was a big standout as Isa and I was blown away, I genuinely felt all the terror she was experiencing.

The film has an eerie and bleak opening, it wasn't immediately engaging but it slowly built up the tension to an effective level. It was pretty gripping once you get into it but I still expected a little bit more at times. There were some really hard to watch scenes and the ending was soul-crushing.

This film raises home invasion films to the level of extreme horror and torture porn. Think extreme French horror and you'll know what you are in for. But this film is from Spain. To say this film is violent is an understatement. The acting performances, especially for a horrific film like this, is absolutely stellar. Best of all, no happy endings. The film is unapologetically brutal. Only the thick skins and strong stomach viewer should watch. Sensitive viewers will get triggered. Miguel Vivas takes us down into those very dark corners of our minds with our worse fears.

But the film isn't perfect. The story leading up to the terrifying events is weak. But for the viewer looking for an adrenaline rush, I don't think they will mind.

"Secuestrados" (2010) is a quiet brutal, intensive and thrilling horror movie. Though the main concept of the movie may be not very inventive, the execution and the style of cinematography even more so. And with an acceptable acting, the home invasion movie "Kidnapped" gets from me 7.0 out of 10 points.