Thu 16 Apr 2020
THE ENTITLED. Anchor Bay, direct to DVD, 2011. Kevin Zegers, Victor Garber, Laura Vandervoort, Devon Bostic, Dustin Milligan, Tatiana Maslany, Stephen McHattie, Ray Liotta, Anthony Ulc. Director: Aaron Woodley.
I don’t get it. This is a kidnapping film, and the gimmick is that it’s supposed be one committed by one of the floundering 99%, taking it out on the rich 1%. I have no brief in favor of the 1%, or not in this way, at least, as three idle rich kids (two male, one female) are held for ransom, that of $1.000,000 each from their respective three fathers. These guys (Ray Liotta, William Graber, and Stephen McHattie) are probably as crooked as all get out, or so it is (more than) hinted at throughout the movie.
The question is, or at least it was for me, which of the three sets of protagonists (the three kidnappers, the three kidnapees, thr three fathers) are the most unlikable. The leader of the kidnappers (Kevin Zegers) is, I suppose, the one we are to root for, but loving his mother who can no longer pay her own medical bills, is not enough to warrant a killing spree like this, which is exactly what happens in movies like this when things go wrong, and yes, indeed, do they ever.
April 16th, 2020 at 2:31 pm
Under no conditions would I expose myself to this truly evil premise. And the kidnappers are clearly the bad guys even if played with charm and justified by progressive politics.
April 16th, 2020 at 3:13 pm
There was a hint, but just a hint, that maybe an ending such as in THE KILLING would prevail, but alas, whatever it was that I thought I saw was not followed up on.
April 16th, 2020 at 4:19 pm
There is a new 2020 movie titled “The Hunt” that was (and still is?) held up from it’s opening,(held up because of the outrage from the right) that basically has the same premise as this movie you are reviewing now. But I think in the movie “The Hunt”, it’s a lot more than three teenagers hunting the more fortunate 1%. I haven’t enough expletives to emit my outrage at movies like this. Soon enough, life will be imitating art after this POS is released.
April 16th, 2020 at 8:03 pm
They have to work harder than this to get me past the fact there is no one in the film to root for. Watching the amoral kill the amoral just doesn’t cut it unless it is done with the style of a Tarantino.
I had this same problem with THE GODFATHER III where I know longer cared what happened to any of the Corleone family.
This can be done, and compellingly so, but it takes more than this.