In Springfield, Massachusetts at 2 A.M., Jody Murdock is sneaking her daughter Samantha out of the house. The next day, her ex-husband Marcus wants to know where his daughter is. He ends up hiring a private investigator.Jody's mother lives in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, so that's probably where Jody and Samantha meet Jody's mother and a friend. The friend lets Jody and Samantha stay with her because the mother's house is the first place people will look.Soon Jody and Samantha are on the run. Jody cannot let her daughter go back to Marcus because, at long last, she has found a doctor who confirms Samantha has been abused and is not making up the stories.At a shelter, Jody is given the phone number for Grace, who is able to make connections that will let Jody hide anywhere in the country. Just as the African-American slaves in the pre-Civil War South had their Underground Railroad, children in Samantha's situation have one too. Jody makes a number of mistakes. For example, she cannot completely cut herself off from contact with her mother. Every few days, she and Samantha have to take off again. But no matter where they go, they find helpful people.In one small town, they finally are able to settle down because of a helpful diner owner named Frank and a veterinarian-in-training named Jim. But is their ordeal finally over? Mike Donner is a reporter who publicizes the problem of child abuse in cases where a parent has to flee to protect the child. Maybe his efforts will be helpful. Faith Ford does a good job here. Whether or not her character is smart enough to do everything right, she does come across as strong yet vulnerable.Young Hanna Hall has a number of good scenes. In one, she gives a disturbingly realistic reaction to what might be considered a normal situation, but for a child who has been abused, it is truly frightening.Depite its serious tone, the film is not totally without humor. I especially liked a scene where Jody and Samantha discussed what names they should use. But come on ... Sammy? Isn't that a little obvious?Kyle Secor does a great job as a trusted friend and ally that this family desperately needs. Nigel Bennett is also quite good as the private investigator who makes the family's lives miserable. Also, Lynne Cormack deserves mention as the wonderful woman who did so much for Jody and Samantha. But I cannot believe one truly moronic action by this character, as loving a gesture as it was!I didn't get her name, and perhaps that's the best thing where so much anonymity is necessary, but one of the best performances came from a black actress playing one of the angels that provided temporary shelter.If the film had any weaknesses, they were supposedly based on the reality of Jody and Samantha's adventure. If any of the problems with this movie were actually invented--well, no wonder they had so much trouble; these people didn't always do the most intelligent things.To justify what Jody did, one has to truly believe Samantha was abused. This film does nothing to dispute that, so we are supposed to root for Jody and never mind the law. I was able to do just that. And I enjoyed the movie most of the time.

and Kyle Secor is also very effective in this film, as a veterinarian who stumbles upon Ford and her daughter, who have escaped an abusive husband/father.This film falls into the category of useful/helpful and informative, for people who are unfamiliar with the court system. Ford is merely trying to save her daughter from physical abuse, but at that time, the husband would have ended up with visiting rights, hence ruining her daughter's life. The FBI accused her of kidnapping, and while the story is based on truth, it does require suspension of reality for most of its duration.That being said, Ford gives a good performance as a mother, trapped in the system, and we do see the fine lines which exist during custody battles; all is not black and white; if a mother is running away with her child, there is often a reason, and it usually ISN'T just to escape an unhappy marriage. Secor is underrated, and I wish we could see him in more film as well. 8/10.

This is an often-good movie that could, and should, have been great. Yet they botch it at several key moments:1. They waste several minutes of screen-time with a bitter argument between Jody and Samantha when the latter insists that they (or at least she) can't spend an entire lifetime just running around and hiding. Jody simply hollers at her daughter until the girl finally (and miraculously) goes along with her. First of all, Jody makes the mistake of addressing her as "Samantha," when that's not supposed to be her daughter's name anymore. (Did anyone else catch that?) Second of all, what's the point of this sequence? It all begs for some kind of snappy comeback, like "What will you do if I DON'T keep being a fugitive with you? Call the police? Tell my father? Am I getting warm? Face it, Mom...you're just one more kidnapper, no different than Dad is." Unfortunately, no such luck.2. The fact that Jody encounters so many people OUTSIDE the P.A.S.A.C. "Underground" Program who nonetheless sympathize with her plight enough to hide her (and Sam) from the cops (and Feds) is much too coincidental. We're talking a restaurant owner, and even one of Sam's teachers. And all this BEFORE they know Jody's full story, or even if they DON'T learn her motives. It all seems to rationalize aiding and abetting a known fugitive; would YOU believe a grammar-school teacher covering for a known child-abductor!?3. THEIR DEADLIEST MISTAKE: Jody and Jim are finally sniffed out by a classroom cop who wanted to fingerprint Sam, by that creepy PI working for Sam's incestuous dad, and by a Fed posing as a prospective buyer for the Rossi house. Then Jody--who was previously slaughtered in court by her ex and his lawyers, and who has NEVER proved that Sam almost died of an STD from her dad--is found innocent after only 32 days! Moreover, neither Jim nor his father are even charged...even though they're clearly guilty of being Accomplices to a Kidnapping, and of Obstructing State and Federal Justice, if not Resisting Arrest to boot. You'd think the Court would at least seize the opportunity to wring some names and numbers out of them, regarding Underground Program-members and other contacts of P.A.S.A.C. (Rumor has it, in real life, the FBI and most State Governments offer a cash reward for such information...a reward of up to $50 thousand per arrest.)