We’ve seen a number of thrilling films throughout the years with excellent plots and conclusions. But the kidnapping genre is frequently undervalued, even though in this genre, you can actually find movies with true stories.
We all are aware that so many kidnapping cases go unreported. But Hollywood accepted the challenge of making people aware of the severity of crime via movies. For instance, in a 2006 movie, Amber’s story is based on a real-life incident that happened in Arlington, Texas. It shows the abduction of 9 years old that causes her mother to look for a method that warns others.
There are many who want to understand the dilemma of victim families and understand what surrounds kidnapping cases. Here’s the list of 10 best such movies on HBO Max for such movie watchers. So, get prepared to feel the horror that people, in reality, went through!
Image Courtesy: MUBI
Cellular
Director: David R. Ellis
Writer: Larry Cohen, Chris Morgan
Cast: Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, Jason Statham
IMDb Rating: 6.5
Runtime: 1 hr.34 mins
Its 2004 American action thriller was released on September 10, 2004. The film garnered mixed reviews from critics grossing over $57 million.
Its story follows an elderly woman when she calls a young man in an emergency. The problem? The woman says she was abducted, and the abductors now went after her spouse and child.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
The Captive
Director: Atom Egoyan
Writer: Atom Egoyan, David Fraser
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Scott Speedman, Rosario Dawson
IMDb Rating: 5.9
Runtime: 1 hr. 52 mins
The Captive (previously known as the Queen of the Night and Captives) is a Canadian thriller. It was released in theaters on December 12, 2014, and every scene was shot in winter for dramatic effects.
The Captives story focuses on the woman who disappeared. But some unsettling events suggest that Cassandra is still alive after eight years. Cassandra’s family, the police officers, and she herself will attempt to solve the case of her absence.
Image Courtesy: FilmWonk
Gone Baby Gone
Director: Ben Affleck
Writer: Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard, Dennis Lehane
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Casey Affleck
IMDb Rating: 7.6
Runtime: 1 hr. 54 mins
It’s an American crime thriller modeled on the novel with the same title by Dennis Lehane in 1998. The film was released on October 19, 2007. People spoke in favor of the film, and it earned $34 million over the $19 million budget.
Two Boston-area detectives look into the abduction of a little child, which eventually causes a personal and career conflict.
Image Courtesy: WarnerBros
Spartan
Director: David Mamet
Writer: David Mamet
Cast: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, William H. Macy
IMDb Rating: 6.5
Runtime: 1 hr. 46 mins
Its 2014 action thriller movie was released in the United States on March 12. The movie was taken well by critics who praised the direction.
Spartan’s story revolves around the investigation into the kidnapping of a high-ranking government official’s daughter.
Image Courtesy: IndieWire
Greenland
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Writer: Chris Sparling
Cast: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd
IMDb Rating: 6.4
Runtime: 1 hr.59 mins
Greenland is an American thriller that premiered nationwide via video on request on December 18, 2020. It was later carried on Amazon Prime and HBO Max. the film was praised by the audience garnering $52.3 million against $35 million.
Greenland focuses on a family as they struggle to survive as a planet-destroying meteor approaches Earth.
Image Courtesy: Movies Anywhere
The Missing
Director: Ron Howard
Writer: Thomas Eidson, Ken Kaufman
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood
IMDb Rating: 6.5
Runtime: 2 hrs. 17 mins
This 2003 American movie was based on the 1996 novel The Last Ride by Thomas Edison. The Missing takes place in the 1885 New Mexico Territory, renowned for the performers’ accurate usage of the Apache language.
Its story revolves around the struggle of a frontier medicine woman. When her daughter gets abducted by Apecho Brujo, she partners with her estranged father to find her daughter.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
12 Rounds
Director: Renny Harlin
Writer: Daniel Kunka
Cast: John Cena, Ashley Scott, Aidan Gillen
IMDb Rating: 5.6
Runtime: 1 hr.48 mins
It’s an American film released in theatres on March 27, 2009. The film 12 Rounds garnered mixed reviews from the audience. It hit the box office and earned $5.3 million in its opening week.
Its plot follows Detective Danny Fisher when his girlfriend gets kidnapped by the ex-con connected to his past. Now he must complete 12 challenging tasks to free his girlfriend.
Image Courtesy: Entertainment Weekly
Extraction
Director: Sam Hargrave
Writer: Joe Russo, Ande Parks, Anthony Russo
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Bryon Lerum, Ryder Lerum
IMDb Rating: 6.7
Runtime: 1 hr.56 mins
Extraction is an American action thriller film. It is based on Ciudad, the graphic novel by Ande Parks, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Fernando León González, and Eric Skillman. Extraction was launched on Netflix on April 24, 2020. It was estimated that 99 million households watched the film in its first four weeks. The movie became the most watched movie in the history of Netflix.
The film’s story revolves around a courageous black market soldier. He was tasked to retrieve the abducted son of a jailed crime lord. He sets out on the most dangerous extraction of his tenure.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
Inside Man
Director: Spike Lee
Writer: Russell Gewirtz
Cast: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster
IMDb Rating:7.6
Runtime: 2 hrs.9 mins
Inside Man is an American heist thriller that was published in 2006. It received favorable reviews from critics and earned $184.4 million overall vs. a $45 million investment.
The plot of Inside Man portrays a bank robber after he pulls off a successful theft, but then it becomes a hostage situation. All of this resulted in a police investigator attending the scene and conversing with the thief.
Image Courtesy: The Ace Black Movie Blog
Red Eye
Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Carl Ellsworth, Dan Foos
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox
IMDb Rating: 6.5
Runtime: 1 hr. 25 mins
Red Eye is a 2005 American psychological thriller built on a narrative by Dan Foos and Ellsworth. It was a box office success that received critics’ and Craven fans’ favorable praise.
On a regular flight, a stranger abducts a woman. She is entangled in a scheme to help her kidnapper carry out a political murder. She must do what he says, or else her father would be in immense danger.
