Instead of forgotten books, Patti Abbott breaks fresh ground this Friday with forgotten movies. Pretty cool, huh? So, let's get to it, shall we?Two things I should not have done prior to my trip to Venezuela in 2006. One was read the US State Department's warning about this beautiful, conflicted country:
"Violent crime in Venezuela is pervasive, both in the capital, Caracas, and in the interior. The country’s overall per capita murder rate is cited as one of the highest in the world, and Caracas was listed as the murder capital of the world in the September 2008 Foreign Policy magazine. Kidnapping is another serious concern. The Venezuelan National Counter Kidnapping Commission was created in 2006, and since then, official statistics have shown an alarming 78 percent increase in the number of reported kidnappings. Surveys show that the overwhelming majority of kidnappings are not reported to the police. Armed robberies take place throughout the city, including areas generally presumed safe and frequented by tourists. Well-armed criminal gangs operate widely, often setting up fake police checkpoints. Only a very small percentage of crimes result in trials and convictions..."
Gulp. And it gets worse from there. Much worse.
Friends living down there assured me that while some caution was encouraged, a great deal of the warning was hype because Chavez refused to play kickball with some irate Texan and his gimpy sidekick. Of course, then I rented SECUESTRO EXPRESS...and man...I looked at my plane tickets and looked at my family and said, what the hell have I done?
Latin America kidnappings. Sure, there's Denzel's MAN ON FIRE (stylized but still pretty good) and sometimes people mention the utterly horrible Russell Crowe vehicle - PROOF OF LIFE. But trust me, amigo. These flicks are sweets compared to the rancid meat of SECUESTRO EXPRESS. This movie will shake you to your soul...and just when you think it's over and you can finally catch your breath, it isn't. It's like and extended cocking of a cheap revolver right in front of your bleeding, puffed-shut eyes. Everything goes wrong. And the ending? A presage of our future?
Jacked-up Hollywood trailer can be found here.