Entertaining film but a little formulaic and predictable

Rating: 7/10 (27 January 2014)

This is an enjoyable film. Everything is coherent and well produced, the scenes flow nicely into each other and the relationships feel real.
The problem is that the plot is blatantly signposted for you from an early stage. You are literally bludgeoned over the head with "this girl is going to get kidnapped" from a very very early part of the film. As a result, the relationship that is central to the emotional hook of the movie, mentioned above, feels a little forced. You know what you are being prepared for. The girl is getting kidnapped, so the film is trying to make you care about this fact, in the lead up to that event. It just felt a bit contrived to me.
My only other minor criticism is that the actors are a bit too type-cast. You can tell from the opening ten minutes which actors are going to have been involved in the kidnap, because the actors picked to play these parts look like "baddies" - the Dad and the attorney being the two primary culprits. Is there really any need for this? Especially when you aren't supposed to know the person is involved until the end. Could the film not have benefited somewhat from the Dad being cast as a lovable teacher type rather than the slimy gangster type? I was well aware that Daddy was going to be involved in the whole operation from the moment I laid eyes on him.
Other slight criticisms are deserved in the gratuitous but brief love scene between the Mum and Dad. It just felt utterly pointless and out of place to see her take her top off and it also not in the spirit of the movie - as their relationship really wasn't important. Also, the 3/4 times that Debussy's Clair de Lune was tossed into the mix also seemed slightly odd.
I am nitpicking a little bit with the above, as overall the movie is competent and tells its story well. It's a solid film that will satisfy those looking for an uncomplicated dose of Saturday night entertainment.