Review Roundup: Halle Berry Elevates Action Thriller 'Kidnap'

With 'Kidap' finally in theaters today, the reviews for the Halle Berry-starrer are surfacing and the Academy Award-winner seems to be getting positive notices from most film critics - even the ones that aren't a fan of the movie itself. Read some reviews for the thriller below:

Variety: We never learn enough about the character to guess why custody might be in danger, but as played by Berry, the actress’ star persona fills in the blanks: She’s convincingly tough, yet humanly vulnerable — an everyday hero pushed to super extremes, powered by a formidable combination of adrenaline and maternal instinct. [Full Review]

The Wrap: This all may sound prosaic on paper, but between Berry’s committed performance and the film’s brisk cocktail of dread and adrenaline, “Kidnap” makes for a rousing, if ridiculous, ride. [Full Review]

The Hollywood Reporter: Berry has capably demonstrated her action expertise in numerous low-budget thrillers, as well as four installments of the X-Men franchise in her role as Storm, so her ability to command the screen single-handedly here proves surprisingly satisfying. [Full Review]

New York Times: It’s sometimes funny to watch Ms. Berry act out scenes of Karla’s frenzy — running at full speed with a limp, gingerly approaching a kidnapper’s lair with a gun she’s never used. But as a producer of the movie as well as its star, she approaches the task of playing this unhinged mother on the run with sincerity. [Full Review]

New York Observer: Berry knows how to seize the center spot and hold on tight. In Kidnap, she gets quite an exhausting workout. [Full Review]

Entertainment Weekly: It plays like 90 minutes of visual white noise, punctuated by an exciting pursuit here and a baddie-gets-what-he-deserves wallop (sometimes with a shovel!) there. None of it breaks new ground (especially for women, as Karla is defined purely by motherhood), but all of it fits squarely into what casual audiences will pay to see—largely thanks to Berry’s presence—especially as summer draws to a close. [Full Review]

Time Out: Berry is compelling in her pursuit of Frankie, even if screenwriter Knate Lee saddles her with too many talking-to-herself moments (she even has a “God, I know I never pray to you…” bit). The film provides a consistent string of “You go, Halle!” beats to keep an audience engaged. [Full Review]

Washington Post: Yet despite limited resources, a well-worn concept and a generic title, director Luis Prieto (“Pusher”) has managed to make a surprisingly effective thriller, leveraging the performance of his Oscar-winning star to convert an apparent junker into a lean, mean suspense machine. [Full Review]