Stolen seems as a direct carbon copy with of Taken, however not nearly as big or good. Stolen has been described as one of those Nicolas Cage films that qualifies as being so bad it's quite entertaining, if only to see just how ludicrous things can become. However, even with that in mind, the final third lets the film down badly and is scant reward for the patience ultimately required in getting there. Cage appears to be on auto-pilot for most of the time, even when indulging his wide-eyed desperate dad mode. Josh Lucas (sporting a mechanical leg and a really dodgy hair-cut) seems to be having fun taking things wildly over the top. Stolen is quite entertaining, although predictable and not much else going on. Worth a rental for a one time watch.

The revenge plot has been done to death. Kidnapping the protagonist's daughter has been done to death. Everything about this movie has been done before, and done much, much better. This is just another extortion movie where the former friend of a former bank robber wants his share of the heist, and kidnaps the hero's (Nicolas Cage) daughter as ransom. The thing is, Cage burned the money. So how is he going to pay this lunatic? Well, he's gotta commit one more heist for it to be all over. Sound predictable? That's because it is.Every beat of this movie is predictable. It wouldn't be so bad if they added some depth to the characters but everything is so one-dimensional. Will (Nicolas Cage) loves his daughter and used to rob banks - that's all we get as far as character development. Vincent (played by Josh Lucas) wants money. They both were involved with a robbery gone wrong at the start of the film and Will burned the money before being arrested and jailed for eight years, but Vincent still wants his share. He waited eight years to exact his revenge. Eight. And the diabolical plan he came up with during that time is to kidnap Will's daughter and threaten to kill her if he doesn't get paid. It's like the writers weren't even trying.What the writers do is explain EVERYTHING that's happening to the audience. They spoon-feed everything with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and this constitutes about 90% of the dialogue: Explaining what you are seeing on screen. The other 10% is forced relationships and throwaway police banter. It's really stupid. Watching the movie on mute is probably much more entertaining.Let's talk about the villain for a minute because he's really quite a character, or caricature rather. He has no personality whatsoever so they give him all of these weird traits to mask the fact that he's boring as all f*ck. A metal stick for a leg, long messy hair, a rugged shady look, a twisted sense of morals, and he's a cab driver. It's like baby's first psychopath. Now I don't blame Josh Lucas for this at all, in fact he makes the character watchable, but not even good acting can save the villain from being a walking, talking cliché. The police are just stupid in this. Stupider than usual in fact. They're not even worth talking about. All you need to know is that you know what you're getting into with this movie before it even starts and it gives you absolutely no surprises or suspense. It's a by-the-numbers action thriller with Nicolas Cage. It has a few funny moments sure, most are unintentional, but if you're hoping that this would at least be a fun, over-the-top Nicolas Cage action movie, then I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed. Stolen is overwhelmingly and sometimes painfully average.

STOLEN is a very lame Nicolas Cage thriller, one that takes place outside the boundaries of reality and feels very silly as a result. The film is a major disappointment considering the talents of director Simon West, who has made decent films before (CON AIR) and since (THE EXPENDABLES 2). The family friendly attitude to the production is another problem, nothing feels dangerous or remotely threatening here.The plot is predictable to say the least. Cage and his associates carry out the ultimate bank robbery, only to have the police show up. The others escape but Cage gets eight years in the slammer after burning the money. After he's let out, he discovers his former partner's gone rogue, still demanding his share of the loot, to which end he kidnaps Cage's daughter.And there you have it. Cage gives a dull, subdued performance but he can't do much with this boring character. Danny Huston, playing his nemesis, a dogged cop on his tail, is equally routine, and as for Josh Lucas's crazed villain, the less said about his Z-grade acting the better. STOLEN contains poor, predictable action scenes and too many unbelievable moments to be an effective thriller; check out some Mark Wahlberg movies like CONTRABAND and BROKEN CITY for better attempts at the genre.

Nicholas Cage is a master mind bank robber who retires after getting caught, but is forced to turn back to a life of crime to get back his daughter who has been kidnapped by his nutty ex pal.Now as the main character is a criminal master mind you may expect him to embark on a devious scheme to rob the ransom money. Wrong.Cage spends the majority of the movie trying to get his daughter back through direct means i.e. crashing cars and elbowing people in the face.When he finally decides to try stealing the money, the ingenuity of his plan is one step up from punching the bank teller out and legging it with a bundle of cash.Very silly, immensely dull, the characters are stupidly over the top. Malin Akerman is the only one of the cast who does their job well - and all she had to do was look good in tight jeans.