Aside from the legions of Twi-hards and members of Team Jacob out there, I’m sure that most audiences rolled their eyes when it was announced that Taylor Lautner would be taking the reigns of his first action film. It was definitely a gamble to let the young actor carry a potential blockbuster in the leading role, but the unique premise of this new thriller seemed rather intriguing. Director John Singleton has been noticeably absent in the past few years, but he is no stranger to the action genre after his work in 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious and 2005’s Four Brothers. Still, the challenge ahead of Lautner was not one he would have to bear entirely alone, as he would be accompanied by an experienced and talented cast that included Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello, Alfred Molina, and Sigourney Weaver. Based on his Twilight work alone, I was understandably skeptical of Lautner and the performance he would deliver in Abduction, but maybe, just maybe, he would end up being a pleasant surprise.
In its entirety, Abduction is pretty entertaining, but it is far from perfect, exerting far too much effort to produce a believable and engaging sequence of events. Lautner shows some potential as an action hero, but he demonstrates considerable inexperience in portraying a wide range of emotions, as he reacts in much the same way whether he is supposed to be scared, angry, or sad. Director John Singleton tries to cover up his leading man’s growing pains with dramatic camera angles and extended close-ups that are meant to be dramatic, but they reek of desperation. As far as the story goes, the premise starts out unique enough to pique audience interest, but it soon devolves into a formulaic spy thriller that echoes other action thrillers like The Bourne Identity in one too many areas. Plain and simple, Abduction illustrates that Taylor Lautner is not quite ready to branch out as a go-to-action star, but small glimpses of talent do foreshadow some promising work down the road.
Overall Recommendation: Low
