Kidnapped - The Complete Series
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jeremy Sisto, Timothy HuttonBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.78:1
Running Time: 541 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-04-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Kidnapped - The Complete Series
Movie Review: Yes, the rest of "Kidnapped" turned out to be as good as we thought
Summary: 5 Stars
NBC set up "Kidnapped" for success last summer, making the pilot for both the show and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" available on a special DVD through Netflix last summer (the pilot was also available on line). But when the show premiered it had only 7.5 million viewers for week one and then down to 6.3 million for week two. With a continuing storyline the networks know that if your ratings go down they are never going to go up, so NBC announced the series would only run 13 episodes instead of the usual 22 and be moved to the graveyard that is Saturday night network television. This move lasted for two more episodes and then NBC yanked the show from their schedule, posting the other eight episodes online. Ironically, while I was watching the complete series on DVD I discovered that NBC was actually airing the unseen episodes in the wee hours of the morning. But the main thing is that with this show, at least, we get to the end of the story (unlike "Threshold," "The Nine," and a whole bunch of other continuing series that ended shortly after they got us hooked).
In the "Pilot," Leopold Cain (Will Denton), the son of rich guy Conrad Cain (Timothy Hutton) and his wife Ellie (Dana Delany), is kidnapped by a group of extremely well organized criminals. The Cains hire Lucian Knapp (Jeremy Sisto) and his assistant Turner (Carmen Ejogo) to bring their son back alive, but it is not long before the FBI becomes involved. Running the case is by-the-book Agent Andy Archer (Linus Roach), but due deference is paid to Agent Latimer King (Delroy Lindo), who was going to retire but is not going to walk away from this case. Besides, Latimer and Knapp clearly have a history that comes into play. But really matters here is that whoever organized this kidnapping really knows what they are doing, providing multiple layers of insulation and a nasty habit of bumping off underlings once they have done their jobs. In short, this is no ordinary kidnapping but a contender for the best planned one in history.
We watched the five episodes that aired in prime time so for us watching the first of the three discs in this set was a recap to get us up to speed for the rest of the series. At that point I convinced that there was something significant about the fact that Leo's bodyguard, Virgil Hayes (Mykelti Williamson), had survived the kidnapping, and turns out to be the case but not in the way I expected ("Gone Fishin'"). A strength of this series are the twists, where they set up expectations (e.g., regarding Leopold's ability to hold his breath under water), but consistently take things in a different (and better) direction. Time and time again when you think you know what is going on, this series proves you wrong, and that becomes a big part of the fun.
Obviously one of the most impressive elements of the show is the casting. Getting Dana Delaney is enough to get me to check out a show, but when you can get Timothy Hutton and Mykelti Williamson to show up for the season, that is pretty impressive. It is not really until the final episode ("Resolution") that we understand why Sisto, Ejogo and Lindo get their names up top separate from the rest and how the show would have continued into the future that is never going to happen. Another thing I liked a lot about the show is that Knapp and King have different approaches to working the case but are willing to work together ("Burn, Baby, Burn"). The standard approach is to have the FBI give the free-lancer grief, but the show follows the Spenser for Hire approach where the ex-FBI guy is seen as being a help rather than a hindrance.
When watching the complete series you will find yourself wondering if the show would have been as great if it had been stretched out to 22 episodes instead of 13. You can tell that some of the subplots, such as the ones with FBI Agent Vance ("Do Unto Others") and Aubrey Cain ("Special Delivery"), were cut off before they got to their payoffs or simply abandoned. The whole idea of the media covering the kidnapping ("Front Page"), which would have become a staple of the Nancy Graces of the world, is completely jettisoned: you see some stories on the news, but the Cains have no problem walking out of their apartment building any time they want. Plus, I find it hard to believe Benjamin Rand ("My Heart Belongs to Daddy") would only stick his finger in the pie once. However, for the most part these changes do not matter because it keeps the focus on finding Leopold and after what happened last season you have to wonder if less would have meant more for "24" as well, because "Kidnapped" is a lot more impressive than last's years bad day for Jack Bauer.
This is not to saw that "Kidnapped" is without flaws: The villain should know better than to use a fake name that would be a clue and since one of the heroes is smart enough to keep all of his weapons at a secure location then the villain should find a better place for their incriminating evidence than the basement of their home. But that could be what happens when the writers have to fast forward to the end. Besides, you have to admire the way the series ends, with a nice little coda that makes you wish this was not the end of the road and a parting shot at NBC that is as good as a wink that these people knew they were doing pretty solid here.
Summary of Kidnapped - The Complete Series
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