Secuestro express (2005)

Young couple Carla (Maestro) and Martin (Leroux) are abducted by three men and spend a terrifying night in Caracas as they wait for Carla's father (Blades) to hand over the ransom.

Director:

Jonathan Jakubowicz

Writer:

Jonathan Jakubowicz

Stars:

Mía Maestro, Jean Paul Leroux, Rubén Blades

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mía Maestro	...	Carla
Rubén Blades	...	Carla's Father
Carlos Julio Molina	...	Trece
Pedro Perez	...	Budu
Carlos Madera	...	Niga Sibilino
Jean Paul Leroux	...	Martin
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dalila Colombo
Elba Escobar	...	Drugstore Cashier
Dimas González	...	Guardia
Miguel Ángel Landa	...	Police's Councilor.
Balmore Moreno	...	Oficial Briceno
Ermahn Ospina	...	Marcelo
Rider	...	Cangrejo

Storyline

In a night pregnant with a strange mix of tension and dizzy abandon, lovers Carla and Martin prowl clubs before drunkenly wandering back to his car. While he comes across as crass nouveau riche, she appears more liberal. Their conspicuous affluence, however, makes them ideal targets for kidnappers, and the trio of Trece, Budu and Niga gets a bead on them and promptly sweeps them up at gunpoint. The kidnappers then demand $20,000 to be delivered in two hours. Carla phones her rich father Sergio to procure the money, but chaos soon ensues. A botched ATM robbery is followed by a stopover at the palatial estate of a gay drug dealer.

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Plot Keywords:

ransom | money | gay | drugs | corruption | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, drug use, sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States]

Country:

Venezuela

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

10 March 2006 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Apagogi express

Filming Locations:

Caracas, Venezuela

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$43,281, 7 August 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$302,256, 18 September 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tres Malandros

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nominated for Best Foreign Film in the British Independent Film Awards 2005

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Quotes

Carla: Things were fucked up before I born. It's not my fault, what am I supposed to do?
Trece: It's never anyone's fault, is it? Nobody's to blame...

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Connections

References Saving Private Ryan (1998)

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Soundtracks

War Dogs
Written by Ben Watkins and Nick Burton
Performed by Juno Reactor

User Reviews

Almost a perfect film

This film, along with "Man on Fire" proves that kidnapping surely makes for good drama. "Secuestro Express" shows the underbelly of a society that is decaying as we speak, a place torn apart by economics and class differences, and a place that is unforgiving and cruel to most of its population.

The 24-hour drama follows a kidnapped couple and their victimizers as their drama unfolds. "Secuestro Express" is rawer than its American predecessor, with its crude language, relentless references to social abuse and sexual references. There are times when I couldn't help feeling sick in my stomach because here was a film where anything could happen. The dialog is frank, the portrayals are very realistic, and the tone of the film is very dark. There are almost no moments when one can feel any respite from the tragedies happening on the screen.

Maestro does a wonderful job as the victim who fully understands what is happening to her and her fiancé and might at times relate to her captors' experience. The last 15 minutes of the film are likely to provoke some heated discussion, as the film reaches its climax. Special mention should go to the actor portraying Budu, a new villain to match in the annals of cinema.

Overall the film delivers and barely misses reaching perfect score because of its production values. Nevertheless its very assured direction, impressive camera-work, and excellent acting prove that bloated budgets and talentless actors might be an endangered species.