Shubhabrata Dutta
Abduction is traditionally a subgenre of thriller films, though it can also fall under the horror and exploitation umbrellas. The protagonist can be any of the people intimately involved with the case – from the abductees themselves to abductors to bereaved family members to the law enforcement officials investigating the case. It all depends upon the story a given filmmaker wants to tell. With an extensive library of films belonging to every subject imaginable, HBO Max offers its audience a wide variety of stories, including movies centered around a character landing themselves in a pickle when they are abducted.
7. Sleepless (2017)
Directed by Baran bo Odar, this action thriller follows LVMPD policeman (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department) Vincent Downs (Jamie Foxx), who, along with his partner Sean Cass (Cliff “T.I.” Harris), robs a shipment of drugs. The duo then volunteers to investigate the massacre, which resulted from the robbery, to cover their involvement. They encounter Internal Affairs investigators Jennifer Bryant (Michelle Monaghan) and Doug Dennison (David Harbour), who are also looking into the case and are suspicious of the policemen. In the middle of all this, Vincent’s 16-year-old son T is kidnapped by thugs who work for the guy whose shipment he stole. Now, he has to save his son by returning the drugs while making sure that the folks from Internal Affairs don’t get a scent of it. You can find out what happens next by watching the film here.
6. Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989)
‘Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!’ is a Spanish dark romantic comedy that stars Antonio Banderas as Ricky, a 23-year-old psychiatric patient. After his release from the facility he was in, Ricky decides to seek out Marina Osorio, an actress and former porn star. They slept together once when she was in the facility for her drug issues. Ricky finds her and tries to get her attention, though Marina doesn’t recognize him. Ricky then captures her and keeps her restrained in her own home, declaring that he has done this so that she will fall in love with him. To find out what Marina does, you can stream the movie here.
5. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
Directed by the great Alfred Hitchcock, ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ surrounds a secret as revealed to Jill (Edna Best) and Bob Lawrence (Leslie Banks) by a dying Frenchman, Louis Bernard, who has been shot. The secret reveals a planned assassination of a government official (later revealed to be orchestrated by a guy named Abbot (Peter Lorre)). But when the culprits, who killed Louis, kidnap the couple’s daughter Betty (Nova Pilbeam) to force them to keep their mouth shut, the couple finds itself helpless, especially since the police offer no help. Will they be able to save their daughter? To find out, you can stream this classic spy thriller right here.
4. Chowchilla (2023)
Paul Solet’s documentary film ‘Chowchilla’ tells the horrifying true story of how 26 children and their bus driver were taken hostage by gunmen as a part of a ransom plot on July 15, 1976, and put in a potential mass grave. Considered the largest mass kidnapping in US history, the 1976 Chowchilla abduction is addressed in the film from the POV of the survivors, who are all adults now. Using their interviews, archival footage, and reenactments, The CNN-backed film offers an up-close-and-personal look at a failed kidnapping that would haunt the hostages forever. You can watch ‘Chowchilla’ here.
3. High and Low (1963)
From legendary director Akira Kurosawa comes a noir thriller that is a brilliant commentary on contemporary society and capitalism, underscored by a kidnapping. It follows wealthy industrialist Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), who is faced with the tough decision of whether to use his money to pay the huge ransom to those who have kidnapped his chauffeur’s son or use that money to seal his position and gain control of a shoe company for which he has mortgaged all he owns. His decision, the consequences of the decision, and the way Mr. Kurosawa executes them are what make this film a must-watch for any cinephiles. Loosely adapted from Ed McBain’s (pen name: Ed McBain) 1959 novel “King’s Ransom,” ‘High and Low’ can be streamed here.
2. Prisoners (2013)
Denis Villeneuve’s psychological crime thriller ‘Prisoners’ stars Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. The film focuses on two people: a father (Jackman) whose daughter is missing and a detective (Gyllenhaal) looking into the case. Each is applying his own method to track down the kidnapper or perhaps the killer, much to the other’s annoyance, but to no avail.
There is a suspect, although there is no proof that he is the one responsible for the little girl’s disappearance. Villeneuve’s approach to the kidnapping drama ups the very ante of the genre by incorporating the human psyche as an element in the narrative. The film is deeply personal and keeps us on the edge of our seats only to hit us with an overwhelming revelation at the end. You can watch ‘Prisoners’ here.
1. The Guilty (2018)
Gustav Möller’s Danish crime thriller ‘The Guilty’ is what was remade into the Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer film of the same name. The original film focuses on Copenhagen police officer Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren), tasked with receiving emergency calls. His otherwise dull shift picks up steam after he gets a cryptic call from a woman named Iben (Jessica Dinnage). When he realizes that she has been kidnapped, he does all he can to ensure her safety. But what can he do with nothing but a phone and a computer in front of him? Well, many things, but it will take a lot of patience and nerve. Does Asger have enough time to afford those? ‘The Guilty’ is a well-crafted drama that masterfully propagates the tension of a kidnapping without showing it to us. You can watch the drama unfold right here.
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