Quite possibly the dullest kidnapping movie since "The Ransom of Red Chief". I mean, it's almost comical. You have a bland, boring WASP abducted by noisome, even more boring revolutionaries. Any humorous or even ironic implications, however, are left grimly unexplored by scenarist Nick Kazan and director Paul Schrader, the stolidity of the later being especially egregious when you consider that this is the guy who was able to look on the pathologies of Bob Crane as well as Dutch Calvinists from Grand Rapids from a somewhat mordant point of view. Give it a generous C, mostly for Natasha Richardson whose good acting is the terxtbook definition of collateral damage.

College student Patricia Hearst (Natasha Richardson) is a well-meaning rich girl who gets kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. Their leader Cinque (Ving Rhames) intends on ransoming the heiress for the release of their imprisoned comrades. Eventually, she joins them in their revolutionary activities.

This is director Paul Schrader and this is Natasha Richardson. She is giving a full performance of this complicated, debated, and conflicted character. It lands squarely on her assertion of innocence. That may be disputed but it's well within reason and the movie presents a reasonable case. She feared for her life and submitted to survive. There are also a few familiar faces and Ving Rhames is as powerful as ever. This is good and Natasha is great.

Based on a novel be Patty herself, this film is very suspect on the actual truth, but Director Paul Schrader does a pretty good job at making the film of Hearst's kidnapping by and subsequently joining with the moronic Symbionese Liberation Army compelling throughout the duration of the film. Opting for a seemingly objective approach despite the source material. Nothing new revolving the case will be gleamed for watching this though, and one will take from it the exact same view as what one goes into it with. Personally, I don't or can't sympathize with spoiled rich girl turned violent revolutionary turned praised celebrity Hearst, but I know that there are many that do. Natasha Richardson as Patty gives a serviceable, if nothing special, job. And Ving Rhames gives a good job himself as the cliché spewing leader of the pitifully sad SLA. This movie is also widely known to be the last of Paul Schrader's films to be any good at all, so there's always that.

My Grade: B-

Eye Candy: Natasha Richardson gets topless