Claustrophobic thriller remake is narrowly saved by compelling performances

Kidnapping thrillers have long been part of the entertainment world, with everything from Liam Neeson’s action-focused Taken Franchise to M Night Shyamalan’s Chiller split and Mel Gibson’s nailbiting Redeem Just a handful of examples. Although Amber Alert

Cannot break new ground with its story or characters, it’s also certainly not the worst the genre has ever offered.

Led by scream alum Hayden Panettiere and Abbott ElementaryTaylor Jacob Williams, Amber Alert Centers on Jaq, a woman who joins a journey driven by Shane, a single father who reluctantly takes the job despite his rush to see his son. Shortly into the drive, they both receive an amber alert about a kidnapped young girl, quickly recognizing a passing car as one suspected of being involved. The movie chronicles the two in their quest to confirm that the driver is the kidnapper, and save the girl before it’s too late.

Amber Alert’s story could have used some more originality

Familiarity isn’t always a bad thing, but it could have provided more weight to the film

Amber AlertIts main issue is how unoriginal the story is. It’s not always a bad thing, but it is in this case. Interestingly, the movie is a remake of Kerry Bellessa and Joshua Oram’s 2012 film of the same name, with the duo getting a second shot at improving the underwhelming response to their original by moving it away from a found footage format into a more traditional narrative Shoot. . Although the duo has only made one film in the 12 years since, there is certainly a sense of growth in the new incarnation.

The actual direction of the film feels much less DIY and more competent, bringing a nice visual flair to the proceedings and keeping the tension palpable. The actual dynamic between the main characters is also vastly improved from the original, with Jaq and Shane’s recognition of humanity in one another leading to some affecting moments rather than constantly bickering with one another despite being in a turbulent situation of trying to Save a young girl’s life.

even after Amber Alert is never quite able to fully overcome its predictability, or even its implausibility, to make it stand apart from other genre efforts. The idea that the police in the film would only assign one officer to the call desk to monitor all tips about the alert, seems not only stupid, but unbelievable, especially since the mentality is to sort through the large number of tips that could lead to Nothing, given the little information they have to go on.

This becomes even more problematic as the movie progresses, and they put more faith in Jaq and Shane’s pursuit rather than taking action themselves. There are mentions of contacting other departments to participate in the chase, and still not a single police officer was part of the chase until the finale of the movie.

To that end, the finale is where Amber Alert Ultimately becomes far too routine for the kidnap thriller genre. If you watched the trailer for the film, which was full of spoilers, the overall trajectory of the movie can be easily determined by those who have seen or read about an attempt to recover a kidnap victim. Even with attempts at red herrings along the way, it’s still too easy to decide where the movie is going and, more importantly, where it ends.

Amber Alert’s direction keeps the stakes high and style feeling fresh

Thanks to ominous color palette and claustrophobic camerawork

Amber Alert Shines in Belesas directorial style for this film. Gone is the stomach-churning shaky cam of the found footage story. There are stationary cameras that allow a better focus on the actors’ performances. Even the action is generally well shot for an indie budget, with the various chase scenes feeling appropriately fast-paced and nerve-wracking.

Amber Alerts direction works best, however, in just how claustrophobic it is. In a movie that spends most of its runtime in a car with two men chasing a suspect, it would certainly be a little disappointing if the camera didn’t make us feel like we were in the car with Jack and Shane, and Bellessa makes smart Every moment feel tense by keeping the camera close to the characters when they race to decide a plan how to save the young girl.

Panettiere & Williams’ performances are Amber Alert’s real saving grace

These two make their characters believable and easy to root for

While the rest of the movie may be a mixed bag of medium-to-great elements, Panettiere and Williams’ performances are enough to save the day. The duo have a lot of great chemistry, as from the opening moments of their awkward ice-breaking talks about how to approach a blind date and seemingly spending free time playing video games. As we learn more about Shane’s life, and Jaq inadvertently becomes a speed bump in it, the duo finds a way to inject just as much comedic chemistry as drama into these moments.

Beyond just working with each other, Panettiere and Williams are fantastic individual performers, even if Panettiere slightly outshines him. A sense of compassion is certainly felt by both as they try to save the young girl, though when we learn the real reason why Jaq is so invested in the pursuit, Panettiere delivers the reveal with such raw honesty that it’s powerful to watch. Although the movie never quite overcomes its sense of familiarity, Panettiere and Williams’ performances truly ground us throughout the tense ride.

Amber Alert Will be released in select theaters and on demand on Friday, September 27th.