Review of Stolen (2012) by Maksim B — 11 Jan 2013

"12 Hours. $10 Million. 1 Kidnapped Daughter.".

This captivating tag line suggesting that Stolen would be an adrenaline-pumping, fast-paced, action-packed flick is an example of how misleading tag lines could be. Stolen is another mediocre and phony Nicholas Cage vehicle which provides decent action entertainment, but fails to meet the expectations for thrills.

Meant to be one of the typical Simon West action movies, Stolen is a regular mediocre delivery full of chases, action sequences and some good shoot-outs. Without much of a credible story, it tries to be something more than a straightforward action-thriller. Nicholas Cage is a thief just released from the prison, whose daughter is kidnapped in order to settle an old debt.Cage has 12 hours to save her, which seem incredibly long in West's 90 minutes.

In terms of action and pacing, director Simon West has obviously used most of his energy for The Expendables 2 (also released in 2012) as Stole lacks the power and the action load of the typical Simon West actions ( Con Air, The Mechanic, Con Air). Nicholas Cage is doing his best to increase the overall tension and to be recognized in his action role, but once again his choice of a movie seems to have been wrong.

In comparison to other recent mediocre actionx, Stolen has definitely the ability to mildly entertain and not to bore. The devoted performance of Cage is a main reason for that, but the incoherent and highly improbable story-telling prevents the movie from being a very good winter DVD delivery.

In conclusion, Stolen has its moments and delivers some entertainment, but it ultimately fails to go above the mediocrity line mainly because of the unclear script and weak direction.