Kidnap and Ransom (2011–2012) User Reviews

Gripping and well acted- quite excellent

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 8 March 2011]

I do agree one or two parts are on the far-fetched side, and the ending could have been more. But Kidnap and Ransom made for quite gripping television and I was really impressed.

Visually it is very striking, not just the photography which is skillful and the lighting which adds to the atmosphere but also the locations which are well chosen and used to great effect. The story is well paced and very gripping with some suitably tense moments, there is a cracking script and good direction.

The acting also impresses, Trevor Eve is excellent in the lead as is John Hannah as the main villain. Emma Fielding is also smashing, evoking genuine emotion when she needed to. The characters are credible too, there is the odd cliché here and there, but with the writing and acting as good as they are I actually didn't mind.

Overall, a very gripping, interesting and well-acted series drama and definitely worth it. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Thrilling if a bit far fetched

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 28 January 2011]

This ITV crime drama looked promising given that is stars dependable actors including Trevor Eve, Helen Baxendale and John Hannah. The premise is simple enough and given away by the title; Eve plays Dominic King, a negotiator who deals with kidnappers to ensure that payments can be made and the hostages released. In the opening scene we see him in Columbia where his latest case goes horribly wrong and all he gets from the kidnapper is the hostage's dead body. The action then switches to South Africa where a British woman is snatched; he is called in and is determined not to work with the police who are understandable not too happy with his attitude as they aren't just investigating a kidnapping but also the murder of her taxi driver. As Dominic deals with the kidnappers it becomes apparent that they aren't professionals but he manages to talk them into a deal and as the first episode approaches its conclusion it looks as if he will save the woman and we'll get a new story in the following episode… this isn't the case though as she is snatched again, this time by a far more professional group who want a lot more money and are prepared to do some fairly nasty things to ensure that they get what they want.

While the story contained several clichés it was undeniably gripping and the leads all did good jobs; especially Trevor Eve and John Hannah who doesn't appear until the second episode. Emma Fielding who played kidnap victim Naomi Shaffer looked genuinely scared which helped keep things believable even when they were a bit far fetched in hindsight. I don't know if there will be further series of this but given the quality of this story I wouldn't be surprised if there are more outings for Dominic King.

All flash no writing

[xhidden99 · 6/10 · 30 January 2015]

There's not much to the story so they pad it with lots of shaky cam, extreme badly framed close ups, weird flashy edits overlayed with odd photo filter effects. You're supposed to be swept up in the urgency of harsh jagged cuts from scene to scene most of which are 45 seconds or less. The average shot is 1 second. There are all sorts of factual errors such South Africans kidnapping a Brit asking for dollars which is not a denomination in either country.

Dominic's boss is a tool who screams and scolds him about nearly everything. And at the end of the day being a hostage negotiator doesn't look that hard. Pretty much paint by numbers. By the way if you're so valuable to your company they'd carry millions of dollars in kidnap insurance wouldn't they hire a bodyguard?

It's a good series.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 18 February 2021]

Dominic King is sent in to dangerous situations, when only the best hostage negotiator will do.

This is a series that grows on you, I spend the whole of the first episode moaning about how Waking the Dead had been axed, and how Trevor Eve was being wasted in this show, by episode two, I had forgotten that, and become engrossed in the story.

It's perhaps a little guilty of being a one trick pony in parts, they seem to force the kidnap and ransom scenario into the plot a few times, but it helps keep the show interesting.

Three episodes per series is about right, it allows it to progress at a nice pace, it looks great, the location work is superb, it's superbly acted, and gives you lots of twists and turns.

I'm glad they didn't try and run it for too long, the format is very limited, but both series are worth watching. 7/10.

Shoestring becomes a hostage negotiator

[scrubber · 8/10 · 17 April 2023]

No doubt about the theme of this series as the title tells you all you need to know about the subject matter. There were just two series of three episodes each and both are excellent. Trevor Eve, who first came to my attention as Eddie Shoestring over forty years ago, plays a hostage negotiator in a very calm and controlled manner, he is great in the role and incidentally, his real life wife, Sharon Maughan, has a small part in the first series as an executive in a pharma company. The first series is set in South Africa and the second India, making for plenty of exotic location shots. The story's are fast paced with twists along the way. A great watch, a pity they stopped after six episodes.

On first episode, like the cast

[vegaskane-88813 · 7/10 · 28 November 2021]

Disagree with the top review and the filmography, needless camera angle switches 3 angles to watch him do anything. Dizziying and distracting like a College student was filming it. I get its a few years older but not a fan (includes action movies) trying quick camera BS. The rest is great so far.

wow, talk about having your heart in your throat

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 18 April 2015]

"Kidnap and Ransom" is an exciting series out of Britain.

Trevor Eve plays Dominic King, a war hero who is now a hostage negotiator. Corporations take out insurance policies on their most important people in certain countries in case they are kidnapped.

I'll say right off, I did love these episodes but I don't understand corporations doing this -- doesn't it just invite people in countries like India to kidnap important employees? In fact, that's what it looks like on the show because it seems like these kidnappers all have big paydays.

Dominic King makes a deal with the kidnappers, sometimes for less money, as long as the victim is kept alive and returned.

These two episodes (both in three parts) are negotiations that, let's say, don't go so well. Both are bone-chilling, suspenseful, and thrilling. I wish there were more.

Trevor Eve is wonderful as a solemn, quiet man, not without his own problems in his marriage and with his daughter. When he negotiates, it's with an iron glove rather than a fist -- he remains calm and measured throughout.

All of the acting is very good, with Eve taking top honors. In the second episode, Sharon Small from Inspector Lynley has a role as the daughter of people stuck on a hijacked bus.

Highly recommended.

Over the top and preposterous fun ride

[ikanboy · 6/10 · 13 October 2021]

As my Grandson once said to me: "It's the movies and they can do what they want." The second season is a little saner, but it's hard to outdo the whackey plot line of season 1. The kidnappers want a secret formula and instead of kidnapping the chemist who knows it they kidnap his wife, release her and then kidnap the step daughter. In season 2 baddies take a bus hostage and after one episode start looking out the windows and they're surrounded by snipers?

Characters switch personalities in a heartbeat, A Brit gets to do what he wants in foreign countries, while the local cops look on.

The worlds most glaring plot hole

[gs20 · 3/10 · 9 August 2016]

While a bit slow and mildly interesting this particular Trevor Eve "staring off into space while not saying anything" offering features one of the most glaring plot holes I have ever experienced...... In the second episode we discover that the female kidnap victim has been released at a bargain price, after being stolen from another set of two bit kidnappers, essentially to get access to her husbands formula for an anti-obesity drug worth billions.

While this apparently takes too long for the professional kidnappers, they proceed to kidnap the daughter of the original victim to force the husband of the returned victim to reveal the formula....... What??

Why not simply kidnap the weak willed sissy of a husband? .... Why involve anyone else at all?? .... It is clearly apparent that anyone the least bit skilled in interrogation cold turn the punk husband in about two hours...... After all, the pros consisted of experienced international mercenaries supposedly...... I couldn't get by this particular glaring bit of story line and it definitely colored my appreciation for the entire thing.

If one cannot accept the premise, one cannot accept the punchline.

Humorous After A Fashion Stunningly Incompetent Hostage Negotiator

[uberviking · 5/10 · 31 October 2021]

Although not intended as such the incompetence of the lead actor as a negotiator is so overwhelming I could only laugh. Whilst taking himself so serious he makes moronic decision after moronic decision making each situation worse and causing damage and tragedy left and right. The law enforcement agencies he engages with are equally incompetent and ill equipped to deal with any thing at all. Saving grace is some nice scenery.