Abduction (2011 film)
A young man uncovers his hidden past.
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Abduction is a 2011 American action thriller film directed by John Singleton, his final directed film before his death in 2019. The film stars Taylor Lautner as a young man who discovers a photo of himself on a missing persons website and sets out to uncover the truth about his life. It was released by Lionsgate on September 23, 2011.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | To Be Loved | Train | 3:41 |
| 2 | Come On Get It | Lenny Kravitz | 4:25 |
| 3 | Heart Attack | Raphael Saadiq | 3:03 |
| 4 | Twist | Oh Land | 2:51 |
| 5 | Under My Skin | Hot Bodies in Motion | 2:18 |
| 6 | Blame It on the Boom Boom | Black Stone Cherry | 3:07 |
| 7 | The Witness | Blaqk Audio | 3:17 |
| 8 | #1Nite (One Night) | Cobra Starship | 3:38 |
| 9 | Good Girl | Alexis Jordan | 3:55 |
| 10 | Novocaine Lips | Matthew Koma | 3:37 |
| 11 | DJ Love Song | Superstar Shyra | 2:58 |
| 12 | The Chorus | Donora | 3:49 |
| 13 | Loving You Tonight | Andrew Allen | 3:00 |
| 14 | Abduction Suite | Edward Shearmur | 4:07 |
| Total length | 47:46 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Plot
For a school project on missing children, Nathan is paired with Karen Murphy and finds an age-progression photo of a missing child, Steven Price, that resembles him. Investigating his background, he learns he is not biologically related to his parents; Mara confirms this. Two men claiming to be from the Bridgewater Juvenile Justice Department arrive, kill Kevin and Mara, and capture Karen. Nathan rescues her, and a bomb forces them to flee.
At the hospital, CIA operative Frank Burton intercepts Nathan's call and offers help, but Dr. Bennett helps them escape. Burton explains that Nathan's biological father, Martin Price, stole an encrypted list of 25 corrupt CIA operatives from Serbian terrorist Nikola Kozlow when Nathan was three.
Kozlow planned to abduct Nathan to coerce Martin into surrendering the list, so Nathan was placed with adoptive parents for protection. Dr. Bennett gives Nathan an address for a safe house in Arlington, Virginia, and tells him to trust only Martin and a man named Paul Rasmus. Burton is warned by his superior to end the situation quickly after learning of Bennett, a former CIA operative.
Production
Lionsgate Films bought Shawn Christensen's spec script for Abduction in February 2010, with Taylor Lautner attached. The studio won a bidding war, acquiring the screenplay for $1 million. Gotham Group and Vertigo Entertainment developed the script from a story idea by Gotham's Jeremy Bell. Principal photography began on July 12, 2010, in the Pittsburgh area, rushed due to Lautner's schedule for the last two Twilight films.
John Singleton signed on to direct in March. Producers included Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Lee Stollman, Roy Lee, Doug Davison, and Dan Lautner, the latter through Tailor Made Entertainment. The budget was $35 million. Lionsgate returned to Pennsylvania for tax benefits.
An open casting call at Carnegie Mellon University drew over 900 people, many teenage Twilight fans. Scenes were shot in suburban Mount Lebanon, Forward Township, Brownsville, Hampton High School, and other Pittsburgh-area locations through September 2010.
Reception
Abduction opened in 3,118 theaters in North America and Canada, grossing $10,925,253 and ranking fourth at the box office. It earned $28,087,155 domestically and $54,000,000 internationally, totaling $82,087,155 against a $35 million budget. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 5% approval rating from 106 reviews, with an average rating of 3.3/10 and a critical consensus calling it a soulless and incompetent action thriller. Metacritic gave a weighted average score of 25 out of 100, indicating generally unfavorable reviews.
CinemaScore audiences gave an average grade of B−. Critics were harsh: R. Kurt Oselund of Slate Magazine said Lautner cannot carry a movie; James Berardinelli gave one out of four stars, suggesting only a controlled substance could make the film survivable; Catherine Brown of Filmink criticized Singleton's handling of teenage angst and Lautner's wooden performance. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave a C, noting Lautner is not terrible but should choose better films.
Roger Moore of the Chicago Tribune gave two out of four stars, calling it similar to Twilight. Andrew Barker of Variety described it as a haggardly slapdash Bourne Identity knockoff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in Abduction (2011 film)?
Abduction stars Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello and Sigourney Weaver.
Who composed the music for Abduction (2011 film)?
The music for Abduction was composed by Edward Shearmur.
How long is Abduction (2011 film)?
Abduction has a running time of 105 minutes.
How much did Abduction (2011 film) earn at the box office?
Abduction grossed $82.1 million.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Abduction (2011 film) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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