Abducted Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Abducted Blu-ray Movie Review

Steal this one into your collection or let it be?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 27, 2013

Rebecca White (Kaylee DeFer) works her tail off for her high-maintenence boss, hotel mogul Suzanne Hollingsworth (Lauren Holly). During a particularly stressful afternoon in which nothing seems to be going right for Ms. Hollingsworth, she hastily fires Rebecca when she's forced to fly commercially to her next destination. Bad weather forces her flight down in Detroit. All the finest hotels are booked and those with rooms remaining refuse her service given her scathing print comments about Detroit's hotels. She finds herself checked into a cheap roadside motel where she restlessly awaits her temporary next-door neighbors to quiet down for the night. When the fussing never ceases, she demands an answer but is instead kidnapped by two Russians, Vlad (Christopher Wolfe) and Oscar (Massi Furlan). The next day, she finds herself in the middle of a human trafficking operation with girls tricked into thinking they're competing for a modeling gig but who are really being sold as sex slaves. While she tries to convince the girls of their plight, Rebecca and fellow Hollingsworth employee Elliot (Joe Lando) travel to Detroit in an effort to track down their wayward boss.

"We are friends of Suzanne Hollingsworth. We were told that she is here, could we see her please?"

Abducted, or Layover as it's also known, proves almost disastrously slow. It takes a good long while to develop but uses that time unwisely, failing to paint its characters much beyond the superficial. When crisis does strike, then, audiences won't care all that deeply about their plight and the outcome. Suzanne's utter lack of likability is offset by the dedication of her fired assistant, but given the way Rebecca is treated the movie makes it easier to root for her successful rescue attempt rather than really care about Suzanne's fate. Nevertheless, this is ultimately a halfway decent missing person's "movie of the week" sort and one of the finest films ever released under the Asylum banner. It's probably the best-acted movie The Asylum has ever put out -- Lauren Holly and Joe Lando are no lightweights, and they put in an honest film's work here -- and the actors are given a competent script and work under a knowledgeable director to boot to make this a far better movie than some might believe it to be just going on the label on the box.

Abducted Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Abducted features the typically good-looking 1.78:1, HD video-sourced Asylum Blu-ray transfer. Aside from light banding, shimmering, and a few jaggies, the transfer boasts crystal-clear imagery that's nicely detailed, from animal fur to human skin, from grungy abandoned hospital accents to close-ups of jewelry. Colors are bright and even, black levels are solid, and flesh tones accurate. This is a good all-around image from The Asylum.

Abducted Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Abducted features a clear and accurate DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Dialogue comes through cleanly; music enjoys natural spacing, clarity, and a good low-end support; and light ambience is limited but effective when heard. A few scattered gunshots offer midlevel power and presence. This is a simple track for a straightforward movie with no real moments of great sonic impact. It gets the job done well enough but never pushes itself beyond what's required.

Abducted Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Abducted contains a "making of" featurette (HD, 5:52), a gag reel (HD, 1:28), and an assortment of Asylum trailers.

Abducted Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Abducted is slow almost to a fault, but good acting, solid direction, and a workable script make it a passable and light little excursion into the dark world of kidnapping, human trafficking, and employee loyalty. The Asylum's Blu-ray features good video and audio along with a couple of brief extras. Worth a rental.