Film Reviews

The Abduction Club

• Rating:
• Director: Director Stefan Schwartz.
• Starring: Alice Evans, Daniel Lapaine, Matthew Rhys, Sophia Myles, Liam Cunningham, Edward Woodward, Patrick Malahide, John Arthur, Ben Palmer.
• Details: UK and Ire / 96 mins / (12PG).

Solid 18th century tale, which is based on real events and features Daniel Lapaine and Matthew Rhys playing Byrne and Strang - the second birth sons in wealthy Irish families. This in itself isn't a particularly good thing, as their standing in their respective families means that they will inherit nowt when their fathers die. Which, in turn, means that they aren't much of a catch for any young lady. However, the pair attempts to address this anomaly by joining The Abduction Club, a group of highwaymen who kidnap wealthy young ladies in an attempt to convince them that the men they are promised to may not be the right ones for them. Byrne and Strang like the look of the Kennedy girls, Catharine (Evans) and Anne (Myles) but they get more than they bargained for when they abduct them. Tongue wedged firmly in cheek, The Abduction Club is a harmless and relatively enjoyable (if you can get over the plethora of clichandeacute;s) swashbuckling caper. The performances are all rather good, but the story's reliance on conventions of the genre (nasty villain, duplicitous politician, etc) and the inevitable love conquers all theme means that it falls a bit short in the long run. Still, not bad

Review by Garreth Murphy