Towards
Darkness (2008)
thriller
directed
by : Antonio Negret
featuring
: Roberto Urbina - David Sutcliffe - Tony Plana - William Atherton
- America Ferrera
running
time : 1 hour 32 minutes
audio:
Spanish - subtitle: English
First time director/screenwriter
Antonio Negret details the frightening trend of kidnapping in Columbia
with this tense tale of a young photographer who is abducted and held for
ransom as his desperate parents scramble to raise the money that could
save their child's life. Jose Gutierrez (Roberto Urbina) is a Columbian
photographer in his early twenties who had come to America in order to
pursue an education. Upon returning to his homeland, Jose is greeted by
his good friends Jaime (Andres Toro), Pedro (Roberto Cano), and Luiza (America
Ferrera. In the following days, Luiza attempts to show Jose just how much
beauty Columbia truly has to offer. Despite the undeniable beauty of the
land, however, Columbia holds a hidden danger that many fail to see until
it's too late. Unfortunately for Jose, the night he realizes his love for
Luiza and his homeland is the very same night that vicious kidnapping ringleader
Manuel (Carlos Valencia) decides to strike. Now, realizing that their son's
fate relies solely on the speed with which the ransom can be delivered,
Jose's parents Marta (Alejandra Borrero) and Carlos (Tony Plana) hire an
American "Kidnap and Ransom" company led by the experienced John (William
Atherton) and his partners Victor (Cameron Daddo) and Charlie (David Sutcliffe)
to negotiate with the quick-tempered Manuel. When Marta and Carlos' insurance
company denies the claim and John attempts to reason with the increasingly
erratic kidnapper, Victor begins to fear that time is running out and rounds
up a team of special ops soldiers to search for Jose by helicopter. With
only ninety-minutes to go before the deadline is up and Jose is killed,
the race is on to either deliver the ransom or confront the kidnappers
with force and firepower.