Reclaim - At Your Own Risk - DVD

Movie: For young couple Steven (Ryan Phillippe) and Shannon (Rachelle Lefevre), there is only one very big wish: they want a child - a wish they can no longer fulfill themselves after a tragic accident. In Puerto Rico, with the help of an agency, they want to adopt the Haitian orphan girl Nina (Briana Ray). Everything seems to be going exactly according to plan. Steven and Shannon are even allowed to bring Nina to their hotel and only have to wait for the girl's passport, which should be delivered in the next few days. But then the unthinkable happens: Nina is kidnapped from the hotel. And the adoption agency suddenly no longer exists. Where is Nina? What do the kidnappers want? And what is the role of the obscure Benjamin (John Cusack), whom the couple has met in recent days?

Inspired by true events, director Alan White tells in Reclaim - At Your Own Risk a basically very exciting story, which is also - so at least suggest the short text panels before the credits - to draw attention to abuses. But even if the intentions are very commendable, the end result is just an extremely conventional thriller with one-dimensional characters, predictable twists and an extremely contrived dramaturgy. Does this make the movie equally bad? No, but it does prevent the film from acquiring a particular independence that would make it stand out from the crowd of similar direct-to-video thrillers.

Some atmospheric shots of Puerto Rico combined with some well-executed moments of suspense console over some of the directorial weaknesses. However, even fast-paced chases or atmospheric imagery can't hide the fact that the script just isn't very good. The actors play against it with effort, but only John Cusack can really convince. However, the actor, who lately seems to be stuck in the role of the villain in low budget thrillers, again sells himself a bit short. Still: Overall, the actors leave an absolutely positive impression measured against what the script allows.

So Reclaim - At Your Own Risk isn't an outstanding one, but it's still a decent thriller that could have gotten a lot more out of its subject matter, though. If you don't expect more than predictable, yet entertaining entertainment with a thrilling and fast-paced last act, you can safely risk a look here. With small deductions worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The image of the DVD is dominated by very warm, earthy tones. Image sharpness is at a very good level for long stretches, though here and there there are minor weaknesses in detail and slightly washed out-looking shots. Still, the overall positive impression prevails in the end, which also applies to the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. While the dialogues are mixed very centrally, especially in the last third, good surround effects provide again and again for a pleasant dynamic. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, the DVD has a look behind the scenes (approx. 16:27 min.), as well as a promo featurette, which is actually just a longer trailer (approx. 2:58 min.), to offer. Unfortunately, there are no subtitle options for either of the extras.

Conclusion:Reclaim - At Your Own Risk is a decent thriller that uses a suspenseful story and atmospheric imagery to make up for the numerous clichés and a certain predictability. Even if John Cusack once again sells himself short and the topic could have deserved a bit more depth, the entertainment value of the film is on a good level. The DVD is technically satisfactory. The bonus material is scarce and no more than usual standard, but the look behind the scenes is not uninteresting in places. Overall, with some deductions still: recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp