Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

The Stolen Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 21, 2017

New Zealand may not be the first setting associated with the Western genre, but that's where one will find the story of The Stolen set. But even considering the movie's rugged terrain, period firearms, covered wagons, and beer-stench brothels, it's not necessarily a Western in the complete and total traditional sense of the term. The film, from Director Niall Johnson, is more a story of a prim and proper woman forced onto the unforgiving trail in a dangerous quest to recover what's rightfully hers, of a woman who must battle through difficult odds, vault over a number of obstacles, and fend off various violent and unwanted advances along the way if she's to accomplish her unenviable and seemingly impossible task. It is, in a way, a period take on Taken or any kidnap-ransom-revenge film, visually tame to be sure by that or most any other standard but capturing a spirt of motherly courage, depicting her unflinching determination to reclaim her son but not ignoring her fears and vulnerabilities, either.

Charlotte Lockton (Alice Eve) is a delicate soon-to-be mother who dislikes guns, though she can appreciate their utilitarian purpose. Her husband David (Lukas Hinch) has been trying to teach her the art of shooting, but she's a slow and somewhat unwilling learner. She delivers her baby boy and the family is living a happy, healthy life until one night the infant is whisked away and David is murdered at the hands of heavily armed men. A broken Charlotte leans on the authorities for help, but after several months of a dead-end investigation, she's told to let the crime go and move on with her life. That answer doesn't satisfy her, and when she receives proof of life and a ransom demand, she sets out on a long and difficult journey to Goldtown in hopes of tracking down her baby's kidnappers and retrieving her son by associating herself with a disparate group of travelers and doing what she must to reunite with her child.

Probably the best word to describe The Stolen is “adequate.” Indeed, this basic story of a mother’s love and strength is nothing special: not the story, not the characters, not the performances, not the craftsmanship, but everything is in acceptable working order. The film appears sufficiently authentic, delivers enjoyably crafted action, finds decent characterization, yields adequate acting, and presents a few nice backdrops and landscapes that dot the journey to Goldtown, though what appear to be a few green screen fill-in vistas are painfully obvious at several points.

Along the way, Charlotte is doubted because of her gender (hers is "no journey for a lady") and while the film doesn't paint her as a superwoman who is suddenly handy with a gun and capable of tackling a man twice her size, the story does adequately build and promote her inward determination which in turn increases her physical skills to the point of making her a formidable adversary, driven by passion, not muscle, by will, not size. Along the journey, she and her party run into many perils. Several of her companions don’t survive. Natural and manmade obstacles and challenges stand in the way while heartbreak, doubts, fear, and a lot of life learning shape her story along the way. She finds herself in a world of savagery, at the tip of a gun or the middle of a brothel, both of which threaten to cut her down, one way or another, and destroy her dream of reuniting with her son.

The film features a couple of modest surprises along the way but it plays out largely as expected. The script digs deep enough to keep the audience interested by building the characters a mite beyond the superficial and artificial, but as noted above there's little in the way of serious narrative creativity or dramatic depth in play. The film does enjoy the fruits of fair production design, where a general sense of place and time help draw the viewer into the world and developing story. Performances aren't revelatory, but the primaries carry the film with enough raw emotion to largely mask any structural deficits and keep the film afloat, even when the script reduces the characters, and the world around them, to broad shapes rather than finely honed entities.

The Stolen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Stolen was digitally photographed, and its smooth veneer betrays the grittier story and setting. Still, definition is certainly very good. Facial definition reveals stout textural complexity, both on fair-skinned characters and more rugged, bearded individuals. Period attire is nicely defined across the board, finding and revealing frays, wear, stitch work, fabric construction, and other elements with commendable ease. Woods reveal wear and dust, natural terrains are sharp and exacting, and various props like period revolvers feature visible scuffs and signs of heavy use. Colors are bountiful and pleasant. Natural greens and red lipsticks sparkle against some of the more earthen woods, flat terrains, and dusty brown and once-white clothes that otherwise dominate the movie. Nighttime black levels are absorbingly deep and flesh tones appear healthy and full. Source or encode issues are minimal.

The Stolen Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Stolen rides onto Blu-ray with a well-rounded DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. On offer is, at the top of the list, enjoyably robust music. Instrumental clarity is sound, stage traversal and fluidity are effortless, surround use is prominent but not overbearing, and low end support is obvious and balanced. The kidnapping sequence and various action scenes offer the most intensive musical moments. Background ambience within the brothel does well to transport the listener to one of the film's key locations in part of its second and much of its third acts. Gunfire can be a little puny, but there's sufficient space and spread to make up for the absence of beefier thumps and zippier zooms. Dialogue is clear, center positioned, and perfectly prioritized from beginning to end.

The Stolen Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Stolen contains one extra. 'The Stolen:' Behind the Scenes (1080p, 23:40) offers a detailed examination of the production's history, the film's story, cast and performances, shooting locations, making various scenes, costumes, Johnson's work as director, and more. A digital copy code is included with purchase.

The Stolen Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Stolen doesn't accomplish much of creative interest, but the story is healthy and adequately fleshed out, aided by fair period production design and decent performances. Modest expectations are key, and even with a bit of a drag through the middle and a stretch run that doesn't find the sort of major action or intensity one might expect, The Stolen stands tall enough to satisfy as basic entertainment. Universal's Blu-ray features good 1080p video and enjoyable 5.1 lossless audio. One extra, albeit a bit longer and meatier than expected, is included. Worth a rental.