Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story (2015) Jessica Amlee, Scott Patterson, Brian McNamara, Jay Pickett, Bailey Anne Borders, Susie Castillo, Trilby Glover Movie Review

Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story (2015)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Jessica Amlee in Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story (2015)

More Kidnapping Drama

As the skittish James DiMaggio (Scott Patterson - Love at the Christmas Table) shoots his gun in to the air he takes a shot from a sniper to his gut whilst Hannah Anderson (Jessica Amlee - Last Chance Cafe) watches in horror as the FBI swooped in. Hannah had been kidnapped by family friend James who when she comes to in hospital learns had killed her brother and mother. Back home with her father Brett (Brian McNamara - A Diva's Christmas Carol) they not only find themselves contending with the press camped out the front of their home but speculation that Hannah and James were close prior to the kidnapping and in fact it wasn't a kidnapping but Hannah had run away with her "Uncle Jim".

"Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story" starts with a bang, quite literally as we have an FBI sniper shooting DiMaggio in the gut as they rescue Hannah. What follows actually ends up a little ordinary as after a few scenes where we have the press speculating that Hannah and James were involved and that she might have helped in the murder of her mum and brother we then get Hannah telling her side of the story during an appearance on a TV show. And so we get the story leading up to the rescue from James murdering Hannah's mum and brother to him admitting to Hannah that he has a crush on her. Yes there are some details to this with initially it being believed that he had abducted both Hannah and her brother but this ends up a pretty routine but moderately entertaining drama which shows Hannah as being innocent.

The thing about "Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story", which I should mention for those who don't know is based on a true story, fails to bring the characters to life with the real depth needed to draw you in. As such when James tells Hannah he has a crush on her there is no depth to this and when Hannah poses for a photo during a trip to LA it is forced and fake. It is the same when it shows scenes of Brett trying to help the FBI with tracking down James as it just feels like filler, scenes which do nothing but deliver some cliche elements such as Brett questioning how good he is as a father whilst wiping away a tear.

What this all boils down to is that "Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story" ends up a solid but nothing special dramatisation of a true story. But for me it too often comes across simply as going through the motions, trying to entertain rather than delivering depth.


LATEST REVIEWS