Writer: Edith Yeoh

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Watch this if you liked: "Silence Of The Lamb"

If "The Maid" scared you s***less, "Kidnapper" on the other hand is bound to get you nail-less, as you bite away from the engaging plot, that is. At a recent press conference, local MYFM DJ Jack Lim (who plays the villain in the movie) reveals that Singaporean director Kelvin Tong bites his nails so often when looking intensely at the monitor that the habit has left him with no more nails. It seems that Tong always have something up his sleeves for his audiences.

If you can forget about the farce that was "Men In White", Tong is labelled the sadistic director by local media and his new thriller is dark, just like his "Rule #1". The story of "Kidnapper" is executed brilliantly from the beginning till the end, without a single dull moment. However, despite being a psychological thriller, there are some moments when you wished there was more to it. It's rated PG13 in Malaysia and PG in Singapore, so don't expect anything too gruesome.

That aside, the performances by actors Christopher Lee and Jack Lim have definitely shed new light on the range of their roles. In most productions, Lim usually plays the happy-go-lucky funnyman but in "Kidnapper", audiences will see a sadistic, evil maniac who will do whatever it takes for money. Lee on the other hand, goes further than his usual regular Joe characters with his portrayal as a distraught father who will do anything to get his son back safely. Phyllis Quek holds her own and does a great job in getting into her character as a woman with a dark past. She revealed in a recent report how working on this movie and her character has caused her sleepless nights!

At the end credits, you may leave the hall shaken and stirred; or feel slightly underwhelmed by the fate of the kidnapper. However, don't let this deter you from watching one of the most engaging cat-and-mouse experiences on the big screen lately.

Cinema Online, 11 May 2010