Secuestro Express

Every 60 minutes, someone is abducted in a Latin American country. This riveting fact powers Venezuelan writer-director Jonathan Jakubowicz's debut film, in which a young, wealthy couple is abducted and held for ransom by three thugs hoping to get rich quick. Clearly influenced by the take-no-prisoners style of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez (whom Jakubowicz worked under), the movie clocks in at a brief 80 minutes, which at times compromises character development and plausibility. But this isn't a flick that relies on story. Shot on digital video at a breakneck pace—cleverly mimicking the speed of the crimes—the filmmaker barely lets audiences breathe, whizzing his hand-held camera on a wild ride through Caracas' dark criminal underbelly. Since American audiences will be reading subtitles amidst all the whirling camera tricks, you might want to opt for a barf bag instead of a popcorn bucket. Luckily, it's not hard to focus on the screen when Mia Maestro shows up. The Argentinian-born Alias co-star gets her big-screen showcase here, and we couldn't agree more with the criminals' choice. When Maestro is on the screen, she sizzles—and, despite a few delays, so does this Express.