When it comes to bad movies I really don't know how to start a review. I wish I could be more forgiving about plot holes, storytelling, writing, cinematography, etc. but I can't forgive when they have this big fat budget and still come up with crap! Many but MANY old movies didn't have budget, special effects, known actors, but still they were great! Is it that writers and directors from this century are just lazy because they have too much money to spend in their projects?The problem with this movie is basically the plot, the story, the script, which is the heart of a movie. Here it's not plausible at all. It starts nicely but then you find mistakes and inconsistencies here, there and everywhere. You can see the plot holes a mile away and the story is so predictable and absurd that makes you cringe. Why are the parents so rebel if their little doll is in peril totally helpless? Some of their reactions make you think they don't even care if she dies. The kidnappers are in control, you can NOT threat or torture them with a gun, a knife, a syringe, nothing. They die your child die, because their cellphone communication is interrupted. That's it. If the baby was so asthmatic why didn't she die from the handkerchief they put in her little mouth with sedative, or from so many scare shocks she has throughout or from all that smoke and dust at the highway? Oh my! Don't make me talk about that highway scene. Didn't that dad realize he produced a crash that could have killed his daughter instantly? I was wondering if the bad guys were actually the parents. And the scene also involved other cars and people who strangely didn't do anything at all even though the scene took several minutes with the parents and kidnappers running around, fighting each other, stealing cars, etc. Were all those other people in the highway just dummies or what? I will tell you, I re-watched that scene a couple times because it was unrealistic and confusing as hell, starting with the dad becoming James Bond. The movie drags on and on and nothing happens. The kidnapper assigned to guard the little girl is too sweet and kind with her so you are sure she will always be OK. There are no thrills, therefore this is not a thriller! The only moment you got some chills is when Dakota is having that asthma attack.On the bright side of the movie I can say there are some really good actors involved here! And that is why I don't rate it 1. Bacon, Theron, Fanning and Vince were incredible with the poor script they were given. They are not the ones to blame. The rest of the cast is just forgettable.The movie is still entertaining but not a good movie nevertheless. And this subject is already present in other movies with great results: Don't Say a Word (2001) and Ransom (1996) just to mention two. As a side note: Why directors insist on the shaky camera and sudden fast panning? It makes you feel sick for Christ sake!

Hickey (Kevin Bacon) is the brains behind a team that already completed 4 successful kidnappings. The latest victim is Abby Jennings (Dakota Fanning). Marvin (Pruitt Taylor Vince) takes the little girl to an isolated location. Hickey calling himself Joel tells Karen (Charlize Theron) that he wants 250k in 24 hours. She tells him that Abby is severely asthmatic. The husband Will (Stuart Townsend) is away at a conference and Cheryl (Courtney Love) tells him the plan for him to hand over the money.The setup is pretty simple but it does have its problems. It's up to the actors to sell this premise. Kevin Bacon is a solid villain and Charlize Theron is a great momma bear as his foil. They work well together. Townsend and Love are not quite so good. They are second rate both in scale and in quality. All together, it's a simple thriller that mostly works with a couple of good performances.

First (1987) "Fatal Attraction" was released, where James Dearden (writer) shows us how to protect ourselves from the fear of HIV: Family. Then other films have to do with the fear of an unknown terror that interrupts the family happiness ("The Hand that Rocks the Cradle", "One Hour Photo", "Ransom", Unlawful Entry" etc.). Same old story in this film. The kidnappers are simply stupid (Bacon in his usual psycho portrait, Courtney Love tries hard to act), "family hug" can save us from every danger and father (another stupid character) decide to land his plane in the middle of the road not seeming to care how many people he might kill only to save his daughter! This disaster scene at the end destroys everything in the movie. Although Theron (unrealistic reactions from her) learn to us where you can hind a knife to save your life!

TRAPPED was a solid little thriller starring Oscar winner Charlize Theron as the mother of a kidnap victim (Dakota Fanning)who learns that her daughter was kidnapped because the kidnapper (Kevin Bacon) feels that Theron's physician/husband (Stuart Townsend) was responsible for his daughter's death. Theron gives a convincing performance as a victim for a change and Kevin Bacon is properly menacing as the kidnapper, turning in a performance on caliber with his work in THE WOODSMAN and THE RIVER WILD. Fanning's annoyance factor is less obtrusive than usual and Townsend (who is Theron's real-life romance) is surprisingly convincing as the husband. There is also a standout supporting turn by Courtney Love as Bacon's girlfriend/accomplice. Love gives one of her most convincing performances here as a tragic heroine uncertain of where bacon's priorities lie. Taut direction and good performances overcome a somewhat clichéd screenplay and despite a somewhat ridiculous finale, TRAPPED is a riveting ride for the majority of the journey.