Lifetime Movies About Kidnapping

From Denis Villeneuve, starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo
Rated R

Prisoners (2013) is a dark, suspenseful crime drama directed by Denis Villeneuve. The story follows the abduction of two young girls, and the desperate search for their captor. Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is a carpenter and father of one of the abducted girls, and he takes matters into his own hands to find them. With the help of Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), they search for clues that may lead to the girls' whereabouts. With time running out, Dover is willing to go to extreme lengths to save his daughter, even if that means crossing moral boundaries. As the search intensifies and the stakes get higher, Dover and Loki are pushed to their limits as they struggle to find the missing girls.

From Edward Zwick, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, Kagiso Kuypers
Rated R

Blood Diamond is a 2006 American drama film directed by Edward Zwick, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, and Jennifer Connelly. Set in Sierra Leone, the film tells the story of Danny Archer (DiCaprio), a former Rhodesian gunrunner, and Solomon Vandy (Hounsou), a Mende fisherman. The two men become unlikely allies in a quest to recover a rare and valuable diamond that will ultimately save Solomon's family. Along their journey, they face the brutal reality of the conflict diamond trade, and the struggle to survive in a war-torn country. With the help of journalist Maddy Bowen (Connelly), the two men work together to try to secure Solomon's family's freedom, while at the same time exposing the dark underside of the diamond trade.

From Pierre Morel, starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Leland Orser
Rated PG-13

Taken is a 2008 action thriller film written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, and directed by Pierre Morel. The film stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, and Leland Orser. The story follows Bryan Mills (Neeson), a retired CIA operative, who sets out to save his teenage daughter (Grace), who has been kidnapped by human traffickers while traveling in France. With only 96 hours to find her, Bryan must use his "particular set of skills" to outwit the criminals and bring his daughter home safely. Along the way, he must enter a dark underworld of crime, betrayal, and revenge in order to rescue his daughter.

From Clint Eastwood, starring Angelina Jolie, Colm Feore, Amy Ryan, Gattlin Griffith
Rated R

Changeling is a 2008 film directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Angelina Jolie. The film is based on the true story of Christine Collins, a single mother from Los Angeles whose nine-year-old son, Walter, goes missing in 1928. After months of searching, the LAPD reunites Collins with a child claiming to be Walter. However, Collins insists that the boy is not her son and is instead an imposter. Collins' refusal to accept the child and her insistence on her son's return leads to her being institutionalized for her "hysteria", leading her on a quest to prove her son is still alive and to bring the people responsible for his kidnapping to justice.

From Rob Reiner, starring James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen
Rated R

Misery is a psychological horror film directed by Rob Reiner in 1990. It stars James Caan as novelist Paul Sheldon and Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes, a psychopathic former nurse who holds him captive after he is seriously injured in a car crash. Annie Wilkes is a superfan of Paul's novels and kidnaps him after she discovers he killed off her favorite character in his latest book. She forces him to write a new novel centered around the character she loves, but as time goes on her behavior becomes more and more unhinged and violent. Paul must find a way to survive her madness and escape before it is too late.

From Paul Greengrass, starring Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Catherine Keener
Rated PG-13

Captain Phillips is a 2013 biographical drama directed by Paul Greengrass and based on the true story of Richard Phillips, who was the captain of the cargo ship MV Maersk Alabama when it was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. The film follows Phillips (Tom Hanks) and the crew of the Maersk Alabama as they are taken hostage by the pirates led by Muse (Barkhad Abdi). Phillips struggles to keep his crew safe while negotiating with the pirates to try to get them to leave the ship. After a long and tense standoff, Phillips and the crew are eventually rescued by the U.S. Navy. The film was praised for its tense action sequences and powerful performances, and it was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

From Tony Scott, starring Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell
Rated R

Man on Fire (2004) is a dramatic action film directed by Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington as John Creasy, a former Marine and ex-government operative who has hit rock bottom. He is hired as a bodyguard to protect Pita Ramos (Dakota Fanning), a young girl from a wealthy Mexican family. When Pita is kidnapped, Creasy’s mission is to find her and rescue her at all costs. Along the way, Creasy is forced to confront his past demons and ultimately discovers the importance of friendship, loyalty, and redemption.

From Ben Affleck, starring Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan
Rated R

Gone Baby Gone is a 2007 American crime drama film directed by Ben Affleck and based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. The film stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris and Amy Ryan. The story follows Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, two private investigators from the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester who are hired to find a missing four-year-old girl named Amanda McCready. The investigation leads them through a series of complicated moral dilemmas, as they interrogate suspects and search for Amanda in a crime-ridden neighborhood. In the end, they discover the truth behind her disappearance, but not before they must make a difficult decision and grapple with their own personal values and beliefs.

From Ben Affleck, starring Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner
Rated R

The Town is a crime drama directed by Ben Affleck and stars Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, Blake Lively, and Pete Postlethwaite. The film follows a group of four friends from the working-class town of Charlestown, Massachusetts who specialize in bank robberies and make their living off of it. Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is the leader of the group and is trying to go straight, but is constantly pulled back in by his loyalty to his friends and to the town. But when Doug falls for a bank manager (Rebecca Hall), he must choose between his own personal ambitions and security or loyalty to his friends and the town. Ultimately, Doug must decide if he will continue down the criminal path he's been on since childhood, or take a chance on a different life with the woman he loves.

From Michael Mann, starring Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo
Rated R

Collateral stars Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx in a story about a Los Angeles taxicab driver, Max (Foxx), who finds himself unwillingly embroiled in a night of murder and terror as he unwillingly serves as a getaway driver for a professional hitman, Vincent (Cruise). As the night progresses, Max is forced to confront his own moral boundaries as he becomes increasingly caught up in Vincent's world of crime and violence. As the police close in, Max and Vincent are forced to confront each other, and Max ultimately makes a decision that will change his life forever.

From Shane Black, starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bernsen
Rated R

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a 2005 neo-noir black comedy crime film directed by Shane Black and starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan. The story follows an aspiring actor, Harry Lockhart (Downey Jr.), who is taken to Los Angeles for a screen test by a private detective, Gay Perry (Kilmer). After the test, Harry is entangled in a murder mystery, and must team up with Perry to investigate the case and discover the true identity of the murderer. Along the way, they also uncover a conspiracy involving stolen diamonds, a mysterious femme fatale, and a powerful criminal organization. With plenty of laughs along the way, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a thrilling and entertaining crime-comedy caper.

From Wayne Kramer, starring Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Chazz Palminteri, Vera Farmiga
Rated R

From Jan de Bont, starring Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton
Rated R

From Nick Cassavetes, starring Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, Gabriela Oltean, Kimberly Elise
Rated PG-13

From Joel Schumacher, starring Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Radha Mitchell
Rated R

From Tony Scott, starring Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Jim Caviezel, Val Kilmer
Rated PG-13

From Martin McDonagh, starring Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken
Rated R

From Peter Berg, starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman
Rated R

From J.J. Abrams, starring Tom Cruise, Michelle Monaghan, Ving Rhames, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Rated PG-13

From Jaume Collet-Serra, starring Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery
Rated PG-13

From David Fincher, starring Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam
Rated R

From D.J. Caruso, starring Shia LaBeouf, David Morse, Carrie-Anne Moss, Sarah Roemer
Rated PG-13

From Phillip Noyce, starring Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, Billy Zane, Rod Mullinar
Rated R

From Michael Bay, starring Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor, Djimon Hounsou, Steve Buscemi
Rated PG-13

From Ron Howard, starring Mel Gibson, Gary Sinise, Rene Russo, Brawley Nolte
Rated R