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RATING:   
SINGAPORE: In "Kidnapper", actor Christopher Lee plays divorced taxi driver Lee Ah Huat. His son Lee Wei Xiang (child actor Jerald Tan) is mistaken for a rich man's child and gets kidnapped by a recently released ex-convict (Malaysian Deejay-actor Jack Lim).
The kidnapper realises his mistake but (for unknown reasons) decides to hold Wei Xiang hostage anyway and demands that Ah Huat, whom he already knows is a poor taxi driver, bring him S$1 million within 36 hours to ransom his son. He reminds Ah Huat that if the police get involved, he will kill his son.
Ah Huat has no intention of doing so anyway because his wealthy ex-wife will win custody of his son and take him to Australia, if she found out that Wei Xiang was kidnapped on his watch.
Ah Huat then embarks on a quest to raise the ransom himself, doing whatever it takes as the clock ticks down to the deadline. He descends slowly into madness as the kidnapper starts to toy with him and sends him bottles of Wei Xiang's blood to hurry him up.
"Kidnapper" is really quite watchable and dispels the myth that local films tend to be sub-par. The highlight of the film is definitely the inner turmoil that threatens to destroy Ah Huat's mind as the incident is played out.
Christopher Lee once said he purposely did not shave, colour his hair (he actually has a lot of silver hairs) and even put on weight for this role.
His efforts paid off. Lee's Ah Huat is convincing as the average taxi driver who becomes more and more unkempt as the stress of losing his son gets to him. Lee looks suitably scruffy and tired onscreen and it helps the audience identify with his character.
Lee also manages to convey his rage towards the kidnapper and despair at the loss of his son through his body language, without ever becoming over dramatic.
There can be no hero without a villain to contrast against and Jack Lim fits the bill. He has this scary face and malevolent presence that makes you suspect he might have killed before. While the scar on his face was a rather cliche touch, Lim's menacing glare manages to make him a very convincing villain.
While the acting is quite good, the story is a little convoluted and has a host of illogical things in it, but I will just point out a few obvious ones.
In the film, the kidnapper brazenly shows his face to his victim right from the get go, something which kidnappers generally do not do to protect their identity, lest things go south.
Kidnapping carries the death penalty in Singapore so you'd think the kidnapper would be at least a little more careful since any slip up will mean a date with the hang man's noose.
The kidnapper also grabs a later victim in broad daylight in front of almost 30 onlookers. How is it possible that not one person, not even the security personnel present, tried to stop him? The kidnapper even makes a throat slitting action to taunt Ah Huat in full view of the bystanders. Seriously? Nobody noticed?
It is also unthinkable that Ah Huat would avoid going to the police once he had run out of options. Yes, the film suggests that Ah Huat will lose custody of his son if his ex-wife finds out, but which parent would choose to let his child die over giving up custody of the child? He could have simply asked his ex-wife to chip in and pay the ransom.
Overall, the film is really quite entertaining, with the cast turning in good performances. Director Kelvin Tong has managed to produce another highly watchable film. However, to truly enjoy it, the audience will have to suspend disbelief and not let the illogical bits distract you from the story or the acting.
- CNA
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