Based upon the 2009 British shocker The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Reckless is a Dutch film is a stylish and sexually charged kidnapping thriller about a young woman, Laura (Sarah Chronis), who is kidnapped by Victor (Tygo Gernandt) and Rico (Marwan Kenzari). Laura, the daughter of a wealthy real estate tycoon, is to be held for a ransom of four million Euros. Kept chained to a bed in a decrepit apartment, Laura's subjected to the same claustrophobia that we begin to feel as the story that unfolds is pretty much exclusive to the apartment and to these three characters.

As one might expect, tensions will rise and confidences will fail. We will learn things about each character, truths will become falsehoods and falsehoods will become truths. As the clock ticks, Laura realizes she may actually know one of the men and we learn that the two men harbor a shocking secret.

While I often fancy myself a fan of Dutch cinema and, in fact, am familiar with director Joram Lürsen's other works, Reckless fell short for me with unnecessary distractions and false endings that may have been clever but they muted the film's impact. The cast is fine, especially Gernandt and Kenzari as they project a well-formed prison bond that comes complete with all the potential fractures and breaking points of a bond formed in a wildly dysfunctional environment.

Jasper Wolf's lensing is dark and atmospheric, while Merlijn Snitker's original music gives the film a tonal consistency that moves things forward in a natural and fluid manner.

While seductive and frequently effective, Reckless lacks the overall impact of The Disappearance of Alice Creed and feels like a lesser telling of a story that's already been effectively brought to life.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic