Superb kidnapping saga in Mexico

Rating: 7/10 (28 September 2012)

SPOILER ALERT! From my perspective, this is a very well-crafted film, and we must give credit to director Tony Scott.
He begins by casting one of America's most reliable actors in the lead role -- Denzel Washington. And this performance of Denzel's is excellent because he is walking the tightrope of a man who is seemingly a failure and an alcoholic, but who learns to want to redeem himself because of the little girl he is protecting. And, here, he even has the "look" of someone struggling with alcoholism. And talk about being gritty!!!! He certainly is in the second half of this film.
Naturally, in a film about kidnapping, there are good guys and bad guys. And one of the questions here is -- is one of the "good guys" really a "bad guy". To tease us, Scott selected Christopher Walken as one of the "good guys" -- a friend and former associate of Washington's character -- and Mickey Rourke as the lawyer of the kidnapped girl's father. Now we know the kind of roles each of these movie sleaze-balls often plays, so the viewer's mind suspects them throughout the film. And then there's the victim -- Dakota Fanning -- who was only 10 years old when she made this film...and turns in a simply remarkable performance. And to top things off, Marc Anthony (the singer) plays Dakota's father (and does reasonably well in his acting), although the better performance is by Radha Mitchell, as the mother.
Yes, much of the early plot is fairly predictable -- it's clear from the beginning that Fanning will be kidnapped, it doesn't take long to figure out that she and Washington will develop a special rapport, and it's clear that Washington will rescue her. Nevertheless, it's so well crafted and well acted that it doesn't matter...the film still holds your attention. And in the second half of the film there are some twists -- reasonable ones -- but surprising nonetheless. And, the ending is not what you will expect.
The photography is a little harsh, but in this case it adds to the suspense.
This is a great film, that although long, will keep your attention. Highly recommended.