Kidnapping scares us but all of us love the best kidnapping movies since we are in total control of the circumstances even while being fearful. That’s why such types of movies are popular and it is the hunger to experience the ‘extremes’ that give us an adrenalin rush.
They give us a chance to witness fear that we can’t face in real life. They are horrifying and entertaining at the same time. After all, the real essence of a film is to surprise the audience with what will happen next. Since it binds the interest of viewers with its twists and turns
Top 10 Best Kidnapping Movies:
Hostage and abduction movies have been prominently playing an important role in the industry thanks to the variation and change that the audience loves. Let’s now take a look at the list of the best kidnapping movies:-
1. The Disappearance Of Alice Creed, (2009):
“The Disappearance of Alice Creed” is known as a hostage thriller that has mind-blowing twists. It is the unexpected turn of events that the audience greatly like, as the plot involves two former convicts. They remodeled an apartment to make it soundproof to carry on their heinous crime of inflicting damage to the hostage.
They kidnapped a woman namely Alice Creed belonging to an affluent family and ask for ransom. However, the woman was a tough one who put up a fight. The movie moves forward with several interesting twists and turns giving the audience much-needed praise as well.
It is full of energy and considered one of the finest hostage movies. The film stars Martin Compston, Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan, and others.
2. Saw:
The value of life can only be understood by those who can’t roam freely as the rest of us do. Even the plot is related to the aspect of how valuable our life is actually, where there is no restriction at the movement.
There are two men Adam and Dr. Lawrence Gordon who wake up in a shocking place which is a bathroom only to realize that they have been kidnapped by the Jigsaw Killer. They have to timely take action to get out of captivity, or they have to face unforeseen dangerous circumstances.
Loads of thrilling moments make it among the best kidnapping movies. The film stars Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode, and Henriksen, among others.
3. The King Of Comedy, (1983):
The name may sound different, but “The King of Comedy” is another one of the best kidnapping movies. The plot starts with Rupert Pupkin, who is secretly obsessed with Jerry Langford, a show host.
He has hidden his feelings for her. As luck would have it Rupert was just in time to provide a shield for her from the fans who were mobbing her.
In the ensuing process to escape, she managed to slip into his limo. In the introductory words, he presented himself as a stand-up comedian. As a goodwill gesture for a person who has just saved him, she tells him to call the office, with regards to any show where he can perform.
She has no real intentions though. After the multiple calls got rejected, this infuriated Rupert and he finally held her hostage in exchange to get a chance to perform first. The film stars Diahnne Abbott, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Jerry Lewis, and others.
4. Taken, (2009):
Like every daughter, Kim is the princess of her father Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent. She has taken permission from his father to travel to Paris with another friend.
The plot revolves around how a couple of girls visit Paris where a human trafficking group kidnaps them. Upon arriving in Paris, a stranger named Pater takes advantage after knowing that they are all alone in the country.
While she is in captivity, the father had a brief talk with a kidnapper and he threatened to kill them (the kidnappers) if they didn’t free his daughter.
He has to travel to Paris to search for his daughter and her friend. The movie stars Famke Janssen, Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, and others.
5. Misery, (1990):
Paul Sheldon’s car accident timely finds a rescuer who also happened to be his fan namely Annie Wilkes. She takes him home and decides to let him go once he is fit.
However, her plan finds a drastic change when she came to know about his unpublished book. Her inner obsession for the book and Paul came to the fore, as she doesn’t like the direction of the story.
He is now under house arrest, as once a ‘patient’ Paul is now turned into a ‘victim’. He tried to escape yet the situation is not friendly. This is something out of the blue for Paul who even in the wildest of dreams didn’t think of something like this.
It scares him and the constant thoughts start to traumatize him as well. The film stars James Caan and Kathy Bates among others.
6. Megan Is Missing (2011):
Megan Is Missing is another movie that showcases fear and thrill through the sequence of events. It revolves around a teenage girl, Megan who due to her tender age and fickle-minded nature tends to find a path to escape from problems.
She searches online and meets Josh, a 17-year-old student. That’s the beginning of problems as Megan can’t be traced after that. This infuriated her close friend Amy, as she started searching for her whereabouts.
The movie is full of violence along with a horrific crime that denotes the end. The film stars Dean Waite, Jael Elizabeth Steinmeyer, Rachel Quinn, Amber Perkins, and others.
7. Cargo 200 (2007):
Cargo 200 revolves around a man who kidnaps a girl from a renowned political family. Everyone is shocked given the sudden disappearance as no one knows where she has gone since there is no eye witness.
The incident gains greater significance as the girl belongs to a renowned family who is already reeling under extreme trauma.
To further complicate matters, there is a horrifying murder on the same night. The incident takes place when the Soviet era was experiencing its downfall in 1984. There was unrest and mayhem as the police officer was terrorizing everyone.
There are lots of spine-chilling moments, as the horrifying story can send shocking waves to anyone. The film stars Aleksey Serbryakov, Aleksey Poluyan, Agniya Kuznetsova, Leonid Gromov, and others.
8. All The Money In The World (2017):
Kidnapping movies use “abduction” as their main theme whether it involves a child, family member, etc. Likewise, “All The Money In The World” is another one.
It dates back to the incident that happened in 1973 where a kidnapper asked for a ransom of $17 million from their grandfather in exchange for releasing their son.
However, that doesn’t go down well for the man who isn’t interested to bail his family member out. Even the subsequent requests from his family member went on deaf ears.
The known members of the family, Fletcher, and Gail then finally decide to do something in their capacity to save the boy as time is running out for them. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Spacey, Christopher Plummer, Michelle Williams, etc.
9. Panic Room (2002):
The movie’s name “Panic Room” hovers around a mother and her diabetic daughter who are in the trauma of being confined to a room. This is in the wake of invaders entering the house in the hope of unearthing a hidden fortune.
They are sure of finding the same, as they won’t return empty-handed. The mother and daughter duo are cut off from the outside world, even though they are in the safe confines, known as the panic room.
The daughter begins experiencing attacks and that’s where the problem starts. The visuals and the storyline make it one of the best kidnapping movies, even though it finishes off with a positive and happy ending. The film stars Dwight Yoakim, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Jodie Foster, Jared Leto, etc
10. State Of Siege (1972):
State of Siege is another one of the best kidnapping movies that are the enactment of a real incident. Uruguayan guerrillas 1969 kidnapped and killed Daniel A. Mitrione, an American.
He is believed to be an agent of America, but that couldn’t be officially ascertained. The guerrillas took him hostage and demanded ransom for his release.
State of Siege came up with its version of creating this fictional movie to better explain the sequence of events.
Based on a real incident, it is certainly on the list of the best kidnapping movies. The film stars O.E. Hasse, Jean-Luc Bideau, Yves Montand, Jacques Weber, Renato Salvatori, and others.
Conclusion:
Aforesaid are the top 10 best kidnapping movies. Similar movies are hubs of entertainment for the audience as they get the chance to experience a refreshing emotional phase that is impossible otherwise. Yes, even though, it scares them but it is the fantasy to maximize the pleasure arising out of fear that one develops a liking to watch more in the safe confines of their home.
I am Afzal Zaheer , a freelance content developer with over 13 years of experience. ‘Choice of Words’ are important to bring the exact meaning and I am passionate to bring the ‘best’ for binding the interest of readers. I always aim to guide the budding content developers as a way of giving back to the love and respect I have got in my journey.
