Director Jonathan Jakubowicz seems to be heavily influenced by three things: Mtv, QT (Quentin Tarantino), and XTC in no particular order. The latter and it’s buddies seems to have affected his grey cells while trying to bring the influence of the former two to fruition.

A flashy splash-screen at the beginning informs you of incalculable (Sic) kidnappings in Latin America, and how this film is a story of just one of those kidnappings. (I mistook it’s stylishness for the film’s title). More style follows when intros to the lead characters are made and the details that accompanies each seems like it was lifted straight off the screenplay (anyone learning to write film scripts pay attention).
Egs:
a) Budu - “painter, rapist, sentimental father”(?! - this one’s a doozy),
b) Dolor - “original gangster, cab driver, hunter for rich kids” (verbatim guys),
c) Trece - “middle class, romantic” (seriously! am not kidding!) etc.
So much for character depth.

The plot, as it is, concerns 4 individuals (Budu, Trece, Dolor and Niga) who seem to specialize in express kidnappings i.e. they kidnap “rich kids” coming out of late night parties, steal their vehicles and buzz their folks for quick drop-off ransoms. “This story” concerns the kidnapping of a rich spoilt Martin (”high maintenance, rich kid”) and his girlfriend for 5 years Carla(”works as a volunteer at the local clinic”). Things go wrong from the word get go, and chaos ensues.

There was gold to be mined from the twists in the plot, and a rich pay-off in black-humour, but the twists raise naught an eyelash, and the humour… well, cringe-inducing is the word that comes to mind. All the characters are unlikable, and you seriously pray for a blood-bath to snap you out of the boredom-induced-coma you have fallen in. Acting is amateurish, with loads of pretentious dialogue (think Seagal films).

Adding insult to injury is the film’s social critique regarding the haves and the have-nots that seems to justify the presence of the kidnapping culture. The message I got was - if you are poor in Venezuela, it’s ok to kidnap, rape, torture and kill the rich folks coz’ they got it coming. And oh yeah, do lots of drugs. The whole film has a thick cloud of dope wafting through it - no wonder I was in a stupor.

The only saving grace in this boring farce is Mia Maestro as Carla - she dives into her paper-thin role, and comes up a winner. Her actions and reactions to the roller-coaster events of the day, are commendable. But it also could be that the others are so bad, that they make her shine out.
The other actor worth mentioning is Hollywood character actor par excellence - Ruben Blades, who infuses his 10-minute role as Carla’s worry-stricken father with enough life for several such features. Pity.

Runtime: 90 mins.

Starring: Mia Maestro, Carlos Molina (II), Pedro Perez, Carlos Madera, Jean Paul Leroux

Director: Jonathan Jakubowicz

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, drug use, sexuality and language.