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SECUESTRO EXPRESS Send This Review to a Friend
Writer-director Jonathan Jakubowicz uncorks a chilling drama abut kidnapping and menace in Caracas, Venezuela, with an extra kick because it is a social statement against the poverty that stimulates the sort of crime in which thugs get it into their heads that the haves are legitimate prey for the have-nots.
The victims in “Secuestro Express” are Carla (Mia Maestro) and Martin (Jean Paul Leroux), an upper class couple whose night of partying turns into a nightmare when they are grabbed by a vicious trio, played by Carlos Molina, Pedro Perez and Carlos Madera. They want $20,000, a huge amount by Venezuelan poverty standards, from Carla’s father, portrayed by Ruben Blades.
The threat of death and the explosiveness of the situation for the kidnapped couple and among the culprits themselves make for steady tension. So does the jangling, intense style of the film. I would prefer a less frantic telling of such a tale, but there’s no denying that the hectic approach, with its split screens, intensified scoring and overall murderous mood creates its own brand of suspense and nerve-tingling.
Jakubowicz works hard to convince us that the film is as much an indictment and warning about poverty as a thriller. However, it is on the second level that “Secuestro Express” works best. A Miramax Pictures release.
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