Today’s quick review: Abduction. Nathan Harper (Taylor Lautner), a high school senior, discovers his picture on a missing persons website and learns that his father (Jason Isaacs) and mother (Maria Bello) are not who they claim to be. When killers come after his parents, Nathan and his friend Karen (Lily Collins) flee from home, aided by his psychiatrist Dr. Bennett (Sigourney Weaver) and pursued by CIA agent Frank Burton (Alfred Molina).
Abduction is an action thriller about a teenager who goes on the run to discover the secret behind his family. Unsure of who to trust, Nathan and Karen find themselves caught in a web of international espionage. Abduction offers some modest action as Nathan and Karen stay one step ahead of the people after them and piece together the truth about who Nathan is. However, plot holes and missed potential make the movie a modest success at best.
The best aspect of Abduction is its mystery. Nathan’s entire life is a sham, and his questions about who he really is are what drive the plot. Abduction also offers a fair amount of action, courtesy of Nathan’s martial arts training and a few gunfights. The movie never really goes beyond the basics of the action thriller genre, but they are executed competently and there are a few minor twists to keep the story from getting too stale.
The catch is that Abduction plays fast and loose with logic. Plot holes of all sizes abound, ranging from minor inconsistencies in the way scenes fit together to major gaps in the structure of the story. The plus side is that none of these issues get in the way of the excitement, but they do make the movie paper-thin. Questioning even small portions of the story damages it, and for critical viewers, this will be a dealbreaker.
How much you get out of Abduction will depend on what you are looking for. Viewers looking for a light thriller with a dash of teenage romance will find it to be a breezy watch. Those in it for the mystery or the action will find it outclassed by any number of other films. Give it a shot if you are not feeling too picky. Otherwise, check out any of its competition.
For a sharper spy thriller with a better mystery, try The Bourne Identity. For a more subdued thriller about a man learning the truth about his spy father, also with Sigourney Weaver, try The Cold Light of Day. For a similar style of teen romance with a sci-fi twist, try I Am Number Four or Jupiter Ascending.
[5.1 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1600195/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a decent plot that doesn’t bear close scrutiny.