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STUDIO: Anchor Bay
MSRP: $15.99
RATED: R (language and violence)
RUNNING TIME: 89 Minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Carjacked: Behind the Scenes Featurette
The Pitch
Hot single mother will do everything she can to protect her child from Stephen Dorff.
The Humans
Maria Bello, Stephen Dorff
The Nutshell
Stephen Dorff should not mess with a hot single mother that will do everything she can to protect her child.
The Lowdown
Maria Bello and Stephen Dorff star in this low budget DTV (direct-to-video) feature called Carjacked. It was bound to happen sooner or later, but in Hollywoodland it’s not that surprising, right? Bello plays single mother divorcee and possible victim of physical abuse, Lorraine, who is just trying to go about her daily life with her young son Connor. Things go crazy when Roy (Stephen Dorff) carjacks Lorraine and takes mother and son hostage after committing a robbery.
The remainder of the 89 minute including credits will, for the most part, take place inside of Loraine’s car with Roy playing mind games with her along with the usual assurances of personal safety for her and young Connor. It certainly isn’t what she had in mind, because all she did was stop off at a mini-mart for some some frozen pizzas and a gallon of gas. Woe is them.
Don't judge me
Yeah, my feelings about Carjacked go back and forth from “it’s just okay” to “meh.” Now first things first…Maria Bello and Stephen Dorff have always been cool in my book. I don’t know what the unwritten rule in Hollywood is for actors, but at some point in their careers, they must do a DTV feature to fulfill their contractual studio obligations or something. These two have been in many top quality theatrical flicks and now have been paired up in a film like this? What gives? Yes, it’s a safe film played by the numbers where they both banter back and forth all the while doing what Roy says without trying to escape. She’s a resourceful woman who will do anything and everything to keep her son safe.
Hi
I do give props on the low budget filmmaking aspects, because even though Carjacked was made on the cheap it doesn’t really show…kind of. Production values are top notch and every single dollar is on that screen. I always give props when props are due and in this case it deserves those accolades. The story is a generic and somewhat cliche and some of the decisions Loraine makes are kinda lame, but on that same token how would anyone react when confronted in a dangerous situation like that? I do think that the story could have been fleshed out a bit more, because the film runs less than an hour and a half with no credits. Ten more minutes could have done wonders.
Game on!
The Package
Carjacked is presented in 1080p; 2.35:1 widescreen. This high definition presentation is pretty damn good! Flesh tones are accurate from Bello’s porous skin and dirty blonde hair to Dorff’s rugged, but grimy bad guy beard, etc. The detail is in the details. Grain levels are consistent and black levels stay deep and inky all the way through. Considering the film takes place 95% at night it never falters in its presentation. Contrast levels also remain steady and I did not notice any signs of boosting.
Carjacked is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless. Again, for a low budget film, the sound wizards have gifted the film with a pretty damn aggressive soundtrack. Yes, it all takes place in the confined spaces of a car, so extra care must be taken. Dialogue is king here and it sounds clean and clear – I did not detect instances of clipping or echoing. The speakers were able to handle the engines, brakes, and occasional gunshots without fail.
The one main thing that will, unfortunately, drag the score way down on this Blu-ray release is the lack of special features. There is just ONE special feature and it’s a short behind-the-scenes fluff piece. Yawn.
In closing, I’d recommend Carjacked, but only as a rental. Stephen Dorff was the bomb in Blade, yo!
Hot and bloody!
Rating: 
Out of a Possible 5 Stars