Kidnapping Stella

Kidnapping Stella is a 2019 German thriller film directed and written by Thomas Sieben, and is a remake of the 2009 British thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed. The plot revolves around two men, Vic (Clemens Schick) and Tom (Max von der Groeben), who kidnap Stella (Jella Haase), and shows how she tries to escape the clutches of her two masked kidnappers.[1][2][3][4]

Kidnapping Stella
Film poster
Directed byThomas Sieben
Written byThomas Sieben
StarringClemens Schick
Jella Haase
Max von der Groeben
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • July 12, 2019 (2019-07-12)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryGermany
LanguageGerman

The film was released on Netflix on July 12, 2019.

Plot

Two former convicts named Vic (Clemens Schick) and Tom (Max von der Groeben) kidnap Stella (Jella Haase), the estranged daughter of a wealthy businessman as part of a get-rich scheme. It was then revealed that Tom is Stella's estranged boyfriend and that she is four months pregnant with their child. After kidnapping Stella, the two dress her in a red tracksuit, blindfold her, tie her to a bed, and imprison her in a soundproof room. To conceal their identities, Vic and Tom wear masks when interacting with her. Tom becomes disillusioned after Vic threatens to cut off Stella's fifth finger during a video broadcast to convince her father to pay the ransom.

During her captivity, Stella discovers that Tom is one of the kidnappers. During an escape attempt, she fires a pistol and manages to obtain one of their cellphones. Stella tries to call the police but is subdued by Tom, who is increasingly guilt ridden for hurting his ex girlfriend. Tom attempts to hide the bullet but Vic learns from Stella about Tom's failure to prevent her escape attempt. Under the pretext of collecting ransom from Stella's father, Vic lures Tom into a trap in the forest. Tom is wounded during a shootout but manages to escape.

Vic later collects the ransom but decides to kill Stella at their second hiding place, a boathouse. However, Tom returns to save Stella from Vic. Both men are killed during the struggle. The film ends with Stella driving off into the countryside in Vic's car with the ransom money.

Cast

Release

It was released on July 12, 2019 on Netflix streaming.[5] According to Netflix, over 18 million accounts watched Kidnapping Stella within the first week of release.[6]

Reception

Nafees Ahmed of the website "High on Films" awarded the film three out of five stars. While finding the story unimaginative and predictable, Ahmed praised Kidnapping Stella for focusing on the organic character development between Tom and Stella while taking fault with the underdevelopment of Vic's character.[7]

References
  1. "KIDNAPPING STELLA". German Films Quarterly. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  2. "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Kidnapping Stella' on Netflix, a Minimalist German Remake of a 2009 Minimalist British Thriller". Decider. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  3. "Kidnapping Stella Review: An Overly Faithful Remake That Does Nothing To Stand Out". Ready Steady Cut. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  4. "Kidnapping Stella (2019) – Movie Review". Cinecelluloid. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  5. Kidnapping Stella. Netflix.
  6. "Every Viewing Statistic Netflix Has Released So Far (November 2019)". What's on Netflix. November 7, 2019.
  7. "'KIDNAPPING STELLA' NETFLIX REVIEW [2019]- UNIMAGINATIVE BUT THRILLING KIDNAPPING DRAMA". High On Films. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
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