Abduction (2011 film)

Abduction is a 2011 American action thriller film directed by John Singleton (in his final directing before his passing in 2019), produced by Roy lee and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, and written by Shawn Christiensen. The film stars Taylor Lautner in the lead role alongside Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello and Sigourney Weaver in supporting roles.
==Premise==
To be added
==Cast==
*Taylor Lautner as Nathan Harper/Steven Price
*Lily Collins as Karen Murphy
*Alfred Molina as Frank Burton
*Jason Isaacs as Kevin Harper
*Maria Bello as Maria Harper
*Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Geraldine "Geri" Bennett
*Michael Nyqvist as Nikola Kozlow
*Dermot Mulroney as Martin Price
*Nickola Shreli as Alec
*Elisabeth Röhm as Lorna Price
*Antonique Smith as Sandra Burns
*Denzel Whitaker as Gilly
*Ilia Volok as "Sweater"
*Nich Donalies as Cracker Jack Vendor #1
==Production==
===Development===
Lionsgate bought screenwriter Shawn Christensen's spec script for abduction in February 2010, with actor Taylor Lautner attached to the film. The studio won a bidding war for the screenplay, acquiring it for $1 million dollars. Gotham Group and Vertigo Entertainment had developed the script based on by a story idea by Gotham's Jeremy Bell.
Lionsgate rushed to start principal production in July, due to Lautner's schedule to begin work on the last two Twilight films for Summit Entertainment. Writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff was hired to work on the screenplay , and John Singleton signed on to direct in March. Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Lee Stollman, Roy Lee and Doug Davison produced the film, and Jeremey Bell and Gabriel Mason executive produced. Lautner's father, Dan Lautner, also produced, the first film from their Tailor Made Entertainment label. 
===Filming===
On a budget of $35 million dollars, principal photography began on July 12, 2010, in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. Lionsgate returned to the region due to tax benefits from Pennsylvania's tax credit program, after filming My Bloody Valentine 3D, Warrior, and The Next Three Days there in 2008 and 2009. An open casting call for extras held at Carneige Mellon University drew over 900 people in June, many of whom were fans of the Twilight film series.
Many of the films scenes were shot in Suburban Mount Lebanon, some others in Forward Township, and Brownsville in Fayette County. Scenes were shot at Hampton High School in Hampton Township, a suburb north of Pittsburgh. The school name and mascot, the Talbot, appeared in the film, as did biology students, cheerleaders and the marching band. Production continued Pittsburgh, Mount Lebanon, Greensburgh and Hampton Township, and lasted into September 2010.
==Reception==
===Critical response===
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave Abduction an approval rating of 5% based on 108 reviews, with an average rating of 3.4/10. The site's critical consensus read, "A soulless and incompetent action/thriller that not even a veteran lead actor could save, let alone Taylor Lautner." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 25 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.
Kyle Sm of the New York Post said that "actual abduction may be preferable to the movie of the same name, but only if your kidnappers don't torture you by forcing you to watch it", adding that Lautner "has the acting chops of Bert from Sesame Street". R. Kurt Oselund of Slate Magazine was also critical of Lautner, saying that he "can't carry a movie any more than Abigail Breslin can carry a refrigerator." James Berardinelli gave it one out of four stars, saying, "For those who are indifferent to Lautner or who don't like him, the only way to survive Abduction is under the influence of a controlled substance, and even that may not be enough." Catherine Brown of Filmink also gave it a scathing review, saying that "Singleton is poorly equipped to handle teenage angst, a fact made far worse by cringe-worthy dialogue and a wooden leading man who proves that he has not yet developed the skills required to carry a film."
A less critical review came from Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly, who gave the film a C, commenting that Lautner is "not a terrible actor, but if he wants a career after the Twilight fades, he'll pick better films." Likewise, Roger Moore of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two out of four stars, saying it "falls in the same corner of the youth market as the Twilight movies. Some moments and many lines feel cribbed from that series." Andrew Barker of Variety called the film "a haggardly slapdash Bourne Identity knockoff, never rising above the level of basic competence."
===Box office===
Abduction opened in 3,118 theaters in the United States and grossed $10,925,253, with an average of $3,503 per theatre and ranking $4 at the box office. The film ultimately earned $28,087,155 domestically and $54,000,000 internationally for a total of $82,087,155 against a budget of $35 million.
==Video==
===Trailer===
File:Abduction (2011 Movie) - Official Trailer - Taylor Lautner)
Category:Films
Category:2011 films
Category:2010s action thriller films
Category:2010s mystery thriller films
Category:American action thriller films
Category:American mystery thriller films
Category:American political thriller films
Category:English-language films
Category:Films about the Central Intelligence Agency
Category:Films directed by John Singleton
Category:Films produced by Roy Lee
Category:Films scored by Edward Shearmur
Category:Films set in London
Category:Films set in New York (state)
Category:Films set in Pennsylvania
Category:Films set in Virginia
Category:Films set in Pittsburgh
Category:Films shot in Pittsburgh
Category:Lionsgate films
Category:Vertigo Films films
Category:American films