Secuestro express (2005)

Every sixty minutes, a person in Latin America is abducted. 70% of the victims do not survive.
Secuestro Express is based in Caracas, Venezuela and is the story of a young couple from a wealthy background who are the latest unwilling victims of three organised and dangerous kidnappers. The kidnappers earn a living by extorting money from rich parents after they have carried out their kidnaps. Carla and Martins ordeal looks like lasting the night.
Express works better as a political statement than an enjoyable movie.
Working the cameraman to the max, Express is a kinetic and frenzied dog of a film.
The acting is mediocre at best and its most well known actor Ruben Blades is given very little to work with.
Director Jonathon Jakubowicz`s pretentious screenplay, in a meaningful attempt to deliver on its social agenda fails because of its trashy and exploitative nature.
In an effort to ram home its anti-Capitalism message, Secuestro strains a little too hard and only ends up confusing the viewer.
Caracas, in the worst advert ever for the Venezuelan tourist board is displayed as a dangerous, sordid and uncompromising city where no-one can be trusted (not even the police) and violent death is only a heartbeat away.
As a thriller, Express doesn't quite work, its hard to actually care for any of the characters and the tension ebbs away towards an inevitable climax.
The message serves an uncomfortable truth but to serve up a trio of murderous psychotic gunmen as modern day Robin Hoods only helps to undermine an already deeply flawed movie.
Interesting as a parable of modern day life in Latin America but this film shouldn't be construed as anything else but a decidedly average pot-boiler.