Review of The Hostage (1967) by Mereie D — 22 Dec 2009

The actual story The Hostage is based on is not bad - not bad at all, in fact. The manifold plot twists show a lot of promise. Unfortunately, the movie doesnâ??t live up to this promise - not in the least.

One has to make allowances for older movies, but this one is not so old. Back in 1967, the Americans were capable of making way better movies than this one. The closing credits say it was filmed in Iowa, but I suppose quite a bit was filmed in studio settings.

This is not unusual, but it really shows here. The quality of this décor look matches the cheapish atmosphere of the rest of the film. The acting is wooden and sometimes clumsy, the music is melodramatic and old-fashioned up to the point of silliness, some elements in the story are not logical (the kid is clever, but not clever enough to keep out of the hands of the thieves, even though he had ample opportunities for this; how on earth could the parents trace the tramp â?? far too coincidental; how did they know what road the thug would take; how did they manage to figure this out so quickly whereas it took them ages to realize the kid might be in the moversâ?? truck, etc.

, etc.). This is a movie that just doesnâ??t engage the viewer. There are many thrilling and emotional moments in the movie, but one just sits there, watches it all go by without even caring. I didnâ??t feel really sorry for the boy, nor for the parents, grieving about their missing child.

Even the creepy alcoholic on a killing spree left me cold, which is a pretty bad sign. The Hostage is a B-movie that doesnâ??t deliver.