Secuestro Express

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For the type of abduction, see Express kidnapping.

Secuestro Express
Directed by	Jonathan Jakubowicz
Produced by	Elizabeth Avellan
Starring	Mía Maestro
Release date(s)	August 5, 2005
Running time	86 min
Language	Spanish
IMDb profile

Secuestro Express (English title: Express Kidnap) is a 2005 Venezuelan film starring Mia Maestro. The film chronicles the tale of Carla (Maestro) and her boyfriend when they are suddenly kidnapped in Caracas, Venezuela. The film was directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz. It stars "non-stars," mostly rappers, who were trained for the role over a period of six weeks. The movie premiered in New York in August 2005, and it opened in other countries, including Venezuela later that year.

Secuestro Express was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the British Independent Film Awards.

Tagline: A Twisty Crime Thriller With Political and Social Commentary.

[edit] Storyline

Every sixty minutes a person is abducted in Latin America. 70% of the victims do not survive. "Secuestro Express" is the frightening story of one young couple's ordeal as they career through the underbelly of Caracas, Venezuela in the hands of three thugs who've made them their latest payday.

Carla (Mía Maestro) and Martin (Jean Paul Leroux) are a young upper-class couple fresh from a night of dancing and partying when they cross paths with Trece (Carlos Julio Molina), Budu (Pedro Perez) and Niga (Carlos Madera), three men who make their living by kidnapping unwitting young adults to extort quick money from their wealthy parents.

Carla and Martin become their next victims and are sent on a terrifying overnight journey through Caracas as they wait for Carla's father Sergio (Ruben Blades) to hand over twenty thousand dollars - a small amount for a rich Caraqueño, but the equivalent of more than 8 years of the Venezuelan minimum wage.

They are emotionally and physically hurt, but soon form a relationship with their captors to try to escape. However, none of their plans pan out. They continue in the Land Cruiser, listening and understanding, even if slightly, their captor's point of view. Through the many mishaps they encounter, they begin to, albeit scarily, bond with the kidnappers.

Martin flees the kidnappers in a crowded square, telling Niga to kill his girlfriend, abandoning her. However, he is soon apprehended by one of their cronies and returned to them and murdered in the trunk of a taxi.

After her father pays their ransom, the kidnappers heatedly argue over her fate, between murder, rape and release. Trece pays his share to the others to release her unharmed, and Carla is soon released, only to be found by another set of kidnappers. However, Trece returns to the scene and shoots them, freeing her again at that time. In the final scene she can be seen with much more modest attire and an inelegant car, continuing her work with sickly, impoverished children.