Movies About Kidnapping

From Jonathan Demme, starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A. Bonney, Kasi Lemmons
Rated R

The Silence of the Lambs is a psychological horror-thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme. The film follows novice FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as she enlists the help of incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to help her apprehend another serial killer, Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). As Clarice draws closer to the elusive killer, she begins to learn more about the dark secrets of her own past. With Lecter’s insight and expertise, Clarice discovers that she must confront her own demons as she continues her investigation. The film is a suspenseful journey of courage and determination, ultimately leading to justice.

From Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, starring William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
Rated R

Fargo is a 1996 American black comedy crime thriller film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars Frances McDormand as a pregnant police chief investigating a series of homicides and William H. Macy as an inept car salesman. The Coens’ darkly humorous story and offbeat characters earned Fargo an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and two Golden Globe awards. The story takes place in Minnesota during the winter of 1987. Police Chief Marge Gunderson (McDormand) investigates a series of crimes in a rural area of Minnesota and discovers that a car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (Macy) has hired two criminals to kidnap his wife in order to extort a large sum of money from her wealthy father in law. As the investigation unfolds, Marge slowly unravels the truth behind the case and sets out to bring the perpetrators to justice.

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

Taken is a 2008 French action-thriller directed by Pierre Morel. The film stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, and Famke Janssen, and follows Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent, who sets out on a mission to save his daughter from a group of human traffickers in Paris. After his daughter is kidnapped during her summer trip to Paris, Bryan must find and stop the criminals before it’s too late. With help from a former colleague, Bryan infiltrates the criminal underworld and uses his skills and training from his years as a CIA operative to rescue his daughter. Along the way, he encounters many obstacles and must resort to extreme measures to stay one step ahead of his enemies. In the end, he is successful in rescuing his daughter and bringing the traffickers to justice.

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

Misery is a psychological thriller film directed by Rob Reiner. It stars James Caan as Paul Sheldon, a successful novelist who is rescued by nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) after a car accident. Wilkes turns out to be an obsessed fan of Sheldon's work, and upon learning that the author has killed off her favorite character in his latest book, she holds him captive in her isolated home and forces him to write a new novel, tailored to her own desires. As the novel progresses, Sheldon becomes increasingly desperate to escape and outwit his captor. The film is a tense and thrilling ride of suspense and terror as Sheldon struggles to regain his freedom and sanity.

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

Man on Fire follows ex-CIA operative John Creasy (Denzel Washington) who has been hired as a bodyguard to protect Pita Ramos (Dakota Fanning), the daughter of wealthy industrialist Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony). Creasy keeps a close eye on Pita and soon forms a strong bond with her. However, when Pita is kidnapped by a ruthless gang of criminals, Creasy is consumed by rage and goes on a quest to find her and take revenge. As he dives deeper into Mexico's criminal underworld, Creasy discovers a mysterious web of corruption and betrayal. The story culminates in an explosive finale as Creasy attempts to rescue Pita and bring everyone responsible for her kidnapping to justice.

From James Wan, starring Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover, Ken Leung
Rated R

Saw is a 2004 horror film directed by James Wan, about two men who find themselves in a deadly game of survival. The two men, Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes), wake up in a decrepit bathroom with no recollection of how they got there. Both are chained in opposite corners of the room, with a dead body lying in between them. A mysterious serial killer named Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) has placed them there, giving them one simple instruction: Lawrence must kill Adam in order for them both to survive. Lawrence has only a few hours to figure out a way to get out of the bathroom and save himself and Adam, or face certain death. As the two men try to figure out the killer's plan, they come to realize there may be no escape.

From Spike Lee, starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer
Rated R

Inside Man is a 2006 crime thriller directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and Jodie Foster. The story follows Detective Keith Frazier (Washington) as he attempts to negotiate with a criminal mastermind (Owen) who has taken hostages during a bank heist in New York City. As the negotiations continue, Frazier and his team suspect the mastermind has a hidden agenda that could put the lives of the hostages in grave danger. As the clock ticks and tensions mount, Frazier must unravel the mystery of the heist before it is too late.

From Phillip Noyce, starring Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Kenneth Branagh, Laura Monaghan
Rated PG

From Marco Kreuzpaintner, starring Kevin Kline, Kathleen Gati, Paulina Gaitan, Cesar Ramos
Rated R

From Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis
Rated R

From F. Gary Gray, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse, Ron Rifkin
Rated R

From Robert Rodriguez, starring Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, Quentin Tarantino
Rated R

From Len Wiseman, starring Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant, Maggie Q
Rated PG-13

From Paul Andrew Williams, starring Lorraine Stanley, Georgia Groome, Johnny Harris, Nathan Constance
Rated R

From Damian Harris, starring Gillian Jacobs, John Malkovich, Ryan Simpkins, Tom Arnold
Rated R

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

From Directors: Louis Leterrier, Corey Yuen, starring Jason Statham, Shu Qi, Matt Schulze, François Berléand
Rated PG-13

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

From J Blakeson, starring Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan, Martin Compston
Rated R

From Mark L. Lester, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Dan Hedaya, Vernon Wells
Rated R

From James Watkins, starring Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Tara Ellis, Jack O'Connell
Rated R

From Gary Fleder, starring Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Alex McArthur
Rated R

From Christopher McQuarrie, starring Ryan Phillippe, Benicio Del Toro, Juliette Lewis, Taye Diggs
Rated R

From Daniel Petrie Jr., starring Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, Keith Coogan, Andrew Divoff
Rated R

From Florent-Emilio Siri, starring Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Serena Scott Thomas, Jimmy Bennett
Rated R