Kidnapped

Year:  1995

Filming:  Color

Length: 155 minutes

Genre:  Action/Adventure/Drama

Maturity:  PG (for intense thematic elements)

Cast:  Brian McCardie (David Balfour), Armand Assante (Alan Breck Stewart), Patrick Malahide (Ebenezer Balfour), Michael Kitchen (William Reed), Adam Blackwood (Captain Forbes), Brian Blessed (Cluny MacPherson), Brian McGrath (James Stewart of the Glen), Brendan Gleeson (Colin Campbell, “The Red Fox”), Antoine Byrne (Mary MacDonald of Dunbrae), Catherine Byrne (Flora)

Director:  Ivan Passer

Personal Rating:  4 Stars

***

    As a Scottish/British history buff, I often lament the shoddy depiction of the Jacobite Rebellions on screen. They are reduced politically-driven drivel about the evil English and their attempts to subjugate the independent-minded Scots. All the nuances of the period are shunted to the wayside, which irks me to no end. However, I am pleased to report that this version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure story Kidnapped does a fair job staying true to history for us buffs, and making it exciting for the public at large.

    Brian McCardie stars as Davie Balfour, a young gentleman from the Lowlands of Scotland, coming of age in the mid-18^th century. Upon the death of his father, he goes in search of his long-lost uncle Ebenezer, who has been hoarding his rightful inheritance by pretending to be the elder of the two brothers, when in fact he was the younger one. Still, after some investigating and surviving nearly falling through a broken stair-well (yes…it’s a set-up!), he manages to get Ebenezer to promise him some share in the family fortune. Instead, the all-too-trusting Davy winds up being kidnapped and sold into slavery on board a ship headed for the Americas. 

    But his course is interrupted when Alan Breck Stuart, a Jacobite exile on a mission to France, boards the ship and bargains for safe passage. Thrown together by mutiny and shipwreck, Davie and Alan are washed ashore on the Scottish Highlands where they must learn to trust one another if they except to survive in an atmosphere of political tension and military occupation in the aftermath of the failed Jacobite rising of 1745.  

     Davie is determined to return to the Lowlands and reclaim his rightful inheritance; Alan is set on getting to France and delivering money to finance the Jacobite cause. Even though their perspectives clash and they find it difficult to get along, circumstances pull them together after they are both framed for assassinating Red Campbell “the Fox”, a powerful pro-government laird shot down on the road. With no hope of being acquitted in a land dominated by brutal martial law, Davie and Alan set off on a race across the Highlands to avoid capture by redcoat troops.

     But the stakes are raised when the murder of Campbell the Fox is blamed on James Stewart of the Glen, Alan Breck’s surrogate father. Eager to prove his innocence, Alan Breck goes in search of the real killer with the legally-astute Davie in toe. But when James is captured and cruelly executed, the goal changes from a rescue mission to fulfilling a vendetta. Along the way, the unlikely pair enlists the aid of Mary MacDonald of Dunbrae, a young lady who Davie begins to fancy, in spite of their initial clash of customs and beliefs. They also meet with the rowdy Cluny MacPherson in his mountain stronghold called “Cluny’s Cage”.

    There is danger aplenty as they stay one step ahead of William Reed, a ruthless government official from London obsessed with capturing Alan, using any means at his disposal to do so. Along with Reed is Captain Forbes, a young British officer whose desperation for promotion stifles the dictates of his conscience. But an unexpected twist ultimately makes him vitally important in deciding the fates of Davie and Alan as they reenter the Lowlands, hell-bent on reclaiming Davie’s rightful inheritance and avenge James of the Glen. In the process, they learn that friendship can be developed in the most trying of circumstances, and in spite of many differences, unity can be forged.

   

     I found this version of Kidnapped to be a good adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel about the aftermath of the Jacobite Risings. Although it does stray from the book in various places, I think it manages to do so with skill, building subplots that succeed in enhancing the main storyline rather than demolishing it. I also think that this version does a fair job in keeping with the proper terminology of the historical period, which is refreshing in comparison with some later versions that rely heavily on the "bad English/good Scottish" stereotype and overlook the complexities of the rebellions.

    Of course, there were still historical inaccuracies. It’s a fact that no one knows for sure who murdered Campbell the Fox, and inserting a fictional character to blame it on doesn’t really solve the mystery…although I could almost believe that a government official might have. And were they seriously trying to say that Alan Breck had an illegitimate child with Flora MacDonald? Or was this a totally different Flora they had make a debut? That whole sequence was really awkwardly explained! I appreciate it was trying to point out the difference in a man and a woman’s perspective on the ongoing strife, but still!

      I appreciate the way Davie is shown as maintaining his position as a government supporter while at the same coming to be more sympathetic towards the Jacobites, as opposed to “going rebel”, as the 2010 version indicates. I particularly liked the scene in which he made a case that the rebellion was over, and Scotland had made her choice for King George, the Whig administration, and with it the Act of Union. It quite reminded me of the current conflict in Scotland over the issue of independence, and how some people refuse to give up the ghost on the matter or acknowledge the will of the majority in a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to decide the matter.

     On the other hand, Alan is shown as being continually loyal to Jacobitism and “the king across the water” while at the same time coming to better understand the logic of the government supporters, and the realization that the future lies with them. Over the course of their adventures together, Davie manages to successfully demonstrate that his law-abiding position is a logical one, even as we cannot help but agree with Alan Breck’s insistence that he should get some more “poetry in his soul.” Another part of the movie that I liked was the way that both characters have different ideas about what it means to be a “Christian gentleman”, and yet each one knows the importance of it. It seems that Alan is a Catholic (he makes the sign of the cross in one scene), and Davie is a Presbyterian, and yet both learn to respect each other and their mutual dedication to honor. My only complaint is the way the two parted in the end; it was so cut-dry, after all they had been through together! A little emotion was needed!

    The acting overall was fair enough. Brian McCardie and Armand Assante make an excellent team, sparring with wit and ultimately swords (all in good humor!). I simply love McCardie’s rich Scottish accent, and the way that when he is frustrated, he forces himself to speak through a plastered grin! Assante also brought Alan Breck Stuart to life as a rugged yet lovable rogue, very human and able to tug at the hearts of the audience through his tragic heroism in a lost cause. And who could pick a better British villain than Michael Kitchen? Okay, so those who know me well know that I was a fan of his role as terrifyingly imperturbable Judge Jeffries in Lorna Doone, and he does not disappoint as the sardonic, sarcastic, ever-smirking, black-clad William Reed in Kidnapped.

    This is a made-for-TV movie, so perfection is not to be grasped at. However, the scenery shots are beautiful, with the hills and glens all wonderfully wild and resonating with Celtic connotations. Indeed, it taps into that very inner poetry that Alan is so desperate to get Davie to acknowledge (the artist in me has tried that with many-a-stiff-necked doldrum…;-) Period costuming was also very good, and I especially liked the red-coat uniforms (don't I always?!). Unfortunately, the music track, which repeated itself over and over again throughout the film, was certainly lacking and sometimes sounded like it was pounded out on a cheesy studio keyboard! The 2010 version certainly had a catchier theme, although I will say there were several moments of musical grace involving a stirring whistle tune, and a few bagpipe interludes.

     So I would definitely rate this movie as an enjoyable historical adventure flick with a good plot-line, memorable characters, and some lovely scenery snap-shots. As I’ve often mentioned in the past, it’s interesting that little-known, small-budget productions actually do a better job with historical retellings than big-budget Hollywood-ized block-busters. Without all the schmaltz, there is time to be more subtle in exploring the characters and time periods in which they live and work and fight and bond with one another. Robert Louis Stevenson was a great author, and he deftly managed to capture a complex time period in Scottish history through his novel Kidnapped. I think this movie adaption, although certainly not perfect, did a good job keeping in line with the spirit of the original work.

Cluny McPherson (Brian Blessed) shares a drink with Alan Breck Stuart (Armande Assante)