Amber Alert can best be described as every parent's worst nightmare come true. The premise has a ride-share driver and his passenger following a Toyota Camry after receiving a child abduction notice on their phones. The film's taut and harrowing first act will keep you glued to the screen despite obvious logistical flaws. That tension is then wasted as the primary characters engage in poorly written exposition meant to develop the protagonists' relationship. Thankfully, Amber Alert gets back on track for a violent climax that has its problems but recaptures the riveting earlier anxiety.
Set in Louisville, Kentucky, a black sedan with heavily tinted windows drives through suburban neighborhoods. Its unseen driver searches for young children walking by themselves on sidewalks. The vile predator chooses his targets carefully, but doesn't get the perfect opportunity to snatch a victim. Meanwhile, in her office, Jaq (Hayden Panettiere) races to finish work. She's late for an important dinner and her WhereGo driver's waiting outside.
Jaq yells in frustration when the driver takes off after she takes too long. But luck's on her side as Shane (Tyler James Williams) drops off what was supposed to be his last passenger for the day. Jaq begs him for a ride. Shane refuses as he also has somewhere to be and can't delay. Jaq sweetens the offer with a promise of a large cash tip. An exasperated Shane relents. He needs the money and won't be driving out of his way.
Jaq & Shane Spot the Suspect
In a nearby park, Monica Bryce (Katie McClellan) cradles an infant while her two older children play and hide-and-seek. She chats with her mother and doesn't realize that seven-year-old Charlotte (Ducky Cash) is out of sight. Monica records a video that, luckily, films across the playground. A car pulls up to Charlotte and lures her inside.
Director and co-writer Kerry Bellessa (Immanence) allows the initially hidden antagonist's awful intentions to punch the audience like an uppercut. This is a dangerous person stalking children for awful reasons. It gives realistic light to a scenario that could literally take place anywhere children are unsupervised. Parents teach kids to never go with a stranger. But that lesson too often falls on deaf ears when the innocent are enticed by something that's impossible to resist. Amber Alert's first 10 minutes will put a pit in your stomach.
Panettiere and Williams are believable once the action kicks into high gear. Jaq clearly sees the vehicle described in the alert in front of them. Her demand that they follow the car from a safe distance would probably be undertaken by every concerned citizen in the same situation. But where is the line drawn when the cat-and-mouse chase veers into potential conflict? They face the thorny dilemma of getting off the bench and into the game. Would you risk your life engaging an armed perpetrator for someone else's child?
The Plot Thickens
Bellessa's handling of the law enforcement response is a mixed bag. Issuing an alert for a black Toyota opens a floodgate of false sightings. Kevin Dunn co-stars as a police 911 sergeant struggling with how to handle such a generic request. The Camry is America's most popular car. That's akin to casting a net the size of the ocean. What's completely unbelievable is his reluctance to act quickly despite the vague details when every cop knows that time is the critical factor after a kidnapping. His stonewalling at that juncture is purely for dramatic effect.
As the nonsensical second act continues to strain credulity, Amber Alert ups the ante while Jaq and Shane pursue the kidnapper while the police continue to bumble around. The idea that they can't reach the perpetrator is hogwash. Cops use helicopters, planes, and drones to give speeding tickets. They'd have been on the scene within minutes, but that would have taken the narrative in a completely different direction instead of a climactic Jaq and Shane confrontation. The spooky final setting does have its merits for pure theatrical value.
McClellan deserves a nod for adding the film's needed dramatic heft. She pretty much steals the show by accurately portraying a mother's frantic terror and hysteria. Her discovery that Charlotte has been taken is very difficult to watch. McClellan spends the entire film in severe emotional distress. You can feel her gut-wrenching fear for Charlotte's safety. Monica appearing within minutes at the 911 call center is a stretch, but you can buy her willingness to do anything to get Charlotte back.
Heroics have consequences. Amber Alert goes hardcore in a brutal and pulpy finale. Bellessa doesn't wrap everything in a neat bow. One aspect (that can't be revealed for spoiler reasons) was particularly annoying and could have been handled better, but the ending delivers a sizable blow.
Amber Alert is a production of Bluefield Entertainment, Hungry Bull Productions, and Three Point Capital (TPC). It will be released theatrically on September 27th from Lionsgate.
Comments
Post a Comment