An enjoyable blast of formulaic escapism
with the slightest touch of camp, thanks to the presence of leading man William
Shatner, The Kidnapping of the President
is a Canada/US coproduction about exactly what the title suggests. While
visiting Toronto, the American commander-in-chief is captured by a terrorist
and dragged into an armored van laden with explosives, so an intrepid Secret
Service agent—Shatner, naturally—must outwit the resourceful terrorist and
rescue the president. Directed in workmanlike fashion by George Mendeluk, the
picture offers virtually nothing in the way of character development and
political relevance, so the only glimmers of humanity stem from exchanges
between the imprisoned president and his anguished wife. That said, the makers
of The Kidnapping of the President
clearly knew what sort of picture they were making. This is a straightforward
potboiler with a cardboard hero, one-dimensional villains, and a foregone
conclusion, so those who like unexpected twists in their storytelling should
seek their pleasures elsewhere.
Jerry O’Connor (Shatner) is second-in-command of
the security detail protecting amiable President Adam Scott (Hal Holbrook).
Ahead of a diplomatic trip to Toronto, O’Connor learns that a violent South
American terrorist, Roberto Assanti (Miguel Fernandes), is on the move, so
O’Connor counsels the president to limit public exposure. Meanwhile, the film
shows Assanti meticulously planning his big scheme, which involves a booby-trapped
van. Upon reaching Toronto, the president works a crowd in an outdoor plaza, so
Assanti manages to handcuff himself to the commander-in-chief. He then reveals
a vest filled with dynamite, allowing him to move the president into the van. This scenario is clever, and notwithstanding the predictable race-against-time climax,
the means by which O’Connor and his compatriots address the situation are
fairly credible. Still, this is larky stuff, especially with the weak subplot
involving a morally compromised vice president (Van Johnson) and his Lady
Macbeth-ish wife (Ava Gardner). The best scenes involve Shatner channeling his
signature over-the-top intensity and Holbrook demonstrating his avuncular charm.
The picture also gets a welcome shot of eccentricity from Maury Chakin’s
supporting turn as one of the terrorist’s accomplices.
The
Kidnapping of the President: FUNKY
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