Stolen (2009 American film)

Tom Adkins is a policeman from Barnstable, California working to uncover the truth behind two crimes; the disappearance of his son eight years earlier, and a fifty-year-old homicide of another boy.[3] In the opening scenes, a mummified corpse is unearthed at a construction site. At first the policeman fears the body is that of his son, but also welcomes closure to the search. However, pathology demonstrates that these are the remains from a much older crime. The film continues with parallel stories in flashback, showing the events leading to the crimes and the investigation. The body is found with a burned toy, identical to one his own son had at the time of his disappearance, along with a whistle engraved with the words, "Keep the home fries burning". After noticing the similarities in the two cases, Adkins attempts to re-interrogate a local prisoner named Rogianni, a convicted murderer who the detective suspected in his son's disappearance. However, Adkins is rebuffed by the prison warden, due to earlier interrogations in which Adkins became violent. The investigation leads him to a man who lived in 1958 named Matthew Wakefield and his mentally disabled son, John. The striking similarities in the cases push Adkins’ obsession over the top. Barely holding onto his sanity and bound by redemption, Adkins unravels the unspeakable truth behind what happened to his son.

The film was conceived as The Boy in the Box and was later renamed Stolen Lives. In January 2010, IFC Films acquired the rights of the theatrical release and renamed the film Stolen.[4]

Stolen was released on March 3, 2010 as Video on Demand and in a limited theatrical release on March 12.[5]

Upon release, the film was universally panned by critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with 20 reviews, the film has a rare approval rating of 0% – meaning no favorable reviews whatsoever – receiving an average rating of 3.6/10.[6]

• Official website
• Stolen at AllMovie
• Stolen at Box Office Mojo
• Stolen at IMDb
• Stolen at Metacritic
• Stolen at Rotten Tomatoes