‘Trapped’ but not entranced

Six-year-old Abby Jennings is kidnapped and her parents are being

held hostage. The kidnapper’s demands are simple, pay the ransom and

your daughter will be safely returned home in 24 hours. That’s the

basic setup in “Trapped.” So naturally, viewers can assume this story

is about a race against time for the parents to escape without harm

and retrieve their daughter Abby the following day. That’s the movie

advertised, but not what viewers see.

Charlize Theron plays Abby’s mom, Karen, who is in the greatest

danger until the ransom is paid. Joe (Kevin Bacon) is in charge of

watching over Karen while his wife holds Will hostage at another

location.

Although “Trapped” promises to be a edge-of-your-seat thriller,

unfortunately it makes a sharp u-turn that switches the story’s

direction half way through the film. Once the audience starts rooting

for Karen, Will and Abby to escape from their evil abductors and

survive their ordeal intact, the attention of the audience is shifted

to the kidnappers and their motivations.

It turns out that the kidnappers, Joe, Cheryl and Marvin, suffered

their own personal family tragedy two years earlier. And, what

appears to be a kidnapping for ransom actually serves another deeper,

darker and twisted purpose. “Trapped’s” attempt to serve up a heaping

helping of sympathy for the kidnappers, in addition to the victims,

sabotages the potential suspense and thrills the film could have

delivered. The story line has itself been kidnapped reducing an

action-packed race against time into a dragged-out and talky race

against time as viewers wait for the movie to end.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS, 39, produces commercial videos and

documentaries.

‘The Banger Sisters’ provides a bang

In the late ‘60s, Suzette (Goldie Hawn) and Vinnie (Susan

Sarandon) were the ultimate groupies, nicknamed “The Banger Sisters.”

It’s been two decades since they laid eyes on each other. Vinnie is

now “Lavinia,” a soccer mom, wife and pillar of the community, more

likely to read “Martha Stewart Living” than “Rolling Stone.” Suzette,

in the meantime, is still a free spirit who has only changed by

augmenting her bust and aging.

When Suzette’s long-term job as a bartender dries up, she sets off

in search of the long-lost friend who has it all. The reunion of

these two ladies sets off a series of events that could either doom

Lavinia’s family, or serve to unify a family that was already in

trouble. Along the way, Suzette also befriends a phobic,

obsessive-compulsive writer (Geoffrey Rush) who is on the brink of

doing something very destructive. Suzette ultimately finds purpose in

serving as his muse and as Lavinia’s inspiration.

Goldie Hawn is a perfect stand-out as Suzette, playing her with a

truth we haven’t ever seen from Hawn. Sarandon is equal to the task

of playing the more mundane Lavinia, and Rush is superb in his role,

which provides mystery, drama and comic relief. All of these actors

are proof that a film can easily carry appeal and prove rewarding

when starring two women and a man, all of whom are in their 50s. The

talented cast also includes fine performances by Erika Christensen,

Eva Amurri, Robin Thomas and Matthew Carey.

This film marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Bob Dolman

(“Far and Away,” “Willow”). Dolman does fine work with this

“dramady”. His dialogue is fresh, crisp, and intelligent. Numerous

instances where a character begins to speak in a stereotypical way

are interrupted with some new action or dialogue that creates a

humorous arc. Due to a sudden illness, Dolman found a last-minute

replacement for his director of photography in Karl Walter

Lindenlaub, who chose to shoot the film in anamorphic rather than the

previously planned super 35. This format, which takes coverage from

the top and bottom of the picture and adds depth to the sides,

allowed for more focus to be placed on the actor’s reactions within a

single shot, and the wider angles allowed Dolman to create immediate

poignancy after uproarious moments.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film. “The Banger Sisters” will either

uplift you or ask you to examine your own life. While some may furrow

a brow at the title and its origins, the concept of promiscuity is

used merely as a metaphor for the freedom, youth and color we should

strive to preserve in our lives.

* RAY BUFFER, 32, is a professional singer, actor and voice-over

artist.

‘Four Feathers,’ period piece that flies

British imperial army exploits during the Victorian era have been

featured in many memorable films over the years, such as “Gunga Din,”

“Beau Geste” and “Charge of the Light Brigade.” The thought of a

nation’s finest young men jumping at the chance to give all for God,

Queen and country seems positively remote in this age of rampant

self-interest.

Given that this almost quaint notion is central to the plot of

“The Four Feathers,” it didn’t seem the mostly likely candidate for a

sixth remake (the classic being the 1939 version starring Ralph

Richardson and C. Aubrey Smith). While a period piece in every sense

of the word, “The Four Feathers” is nonetheless surprisingly relevant

with many haunting parallels to 21st century political and cultural

strife.

“The Four Feathers” tells the story of Harry Faversham, a young

British officer, circa 1875. Faversham, played by Heath Ledger, is

the son of a general and serves in the army only because it is

expected of him. When his regiment is ordered to do battle in the

Sudan, he resigns his commission out of fear and his extreme

reluctance to leave behind his beautiful fiancee, Ethne (Kate

Hudson). His regimental comrades hold him in contempt and send him

three white feathers, the symbol of cowardice. Most devastating is

the fourth feather sent to him by the patriotic Ethne. Determined to

regain his good name, Harry travels to the Sudan on his own where he

shadows his former regiment.

There is an epic quality to the picture including the requisite

“cast of thousands,” and stunning settings and scenery. Many of the

scenes shot in Britain take place at the imposing Blenheim Palace and

capture the elegant but rigid adherence to history and tradition. One

can actually feel the British soldiers’ fear and sense of

displacement in the sweeping vistas of trackless desert (actually

Morocco). The battle scenes pitting the disciplined but ill-prepared

British forces against the nomadic desert hordes are realistic and

appropriately horrific.

Perhaps many years ago one could view a movie such as this and

simply classify the British as the heroes deserving of our support.

The moviemakers underscore the cultural differences, as when the

British regiment is duly reminded they are not just soldiers, but

Christian soldiers. Once in the Sudan, it is clear the British are

strangers in a strange land. They are actually the interlopers and

seem to be hated even by their supporters. Terror-type tactics and

youths throwing rocks besiege the soldiers. With a change in

uniforms, this could be footage from the modern day West Bank or

Mogadishu.

Director Shekhar Kapur, who also directed “Elizabeth” in 1998, has

faithfully adhered to a classic formula here. As an Indian, he might

be expected to bring a different perspective to British Imperialism.

Whatever commentary Kapur intends is inferred rather than clearly

depicted.

The performances are all quite good, although Kate Hudson’s Ethne

could have been played by nearly anyone with the physical attributes

for the role. Worth special mention is Djimon Hounsou, who plays

Harry’s confidant and savior, Abou. As he showed in “Amistad,”

Hounsou is an engaging and commanding screen presence.

I enjoyed “The Four Feathers” and recommend it. In many ways, this

film reminds us of an age of honor and duty that no longer exists.

Conversely, it also demonstrates how little has changed when two

cultures are at odds.

* VAN NOVACK, 48, is the director of institutional research at

Cal State Long Beach.