Stolen Lives - Deadly Moments - DVD

Film: Detective Tom Adkins (Mad Men star Jon Hamm) has been trapped in a dark emotional hole since his son disappeared without a trace eight years ago. He refuses to admit to himself that Tom Jr. could be dead and searches for any clue that might give him an answer as to his boy's whereabouts. The case of little John Wakefield, who disappeared in a very similar fashion fifty years ago, could be just such a clue. Doggedly, Tom sets out to solve the boy's mysterious death. And sure enough, soon there are clues that lead him to believe in a connection between John and Tom Jr.

Stolen Lives - Deadly Moments is a quiet, yet gripping thriller that manages to establish a certain level of suspense by interweaving two stories. The two storylines, the one centered around Tom Adkins and the one set fifty years earlier about a widower (Josh Lucas) and his three sons, fall more into the realm of drama than thriller. But the unifying element, the disappearance of two boys and the probable murder of the children, as well as Tom's desperate attempts to find out the truth, make for a thoroughly involving thriller.

Here and there, though, it's noticeable that there wasn't a big budget here. For instance, a character who is still a young man in one plot level reappears fifty years later - with a makeup that is clearly recognizable as such. However, such flaws don't really detract from the production, as both the story itself and the acting of the cast are intense enough to keep the viewer engaged. Jon Hamm in particular, who has proven his acting range many times over in such diverse work for the award-winning series Mad Men or the comedy Bride Alert, delivers a great performance. But also Josh Lucas, ex-Dawson`s Creek star James Van Der Beek or Rhona Mitra convince with credible performances, which correspond very well to the atmosphere of the film.

Stolen Lives - Deadly Moments sometimes just seems like a good TV production, but the thriller drama never seems cheap. Both camerawork and set design are absolutely worth watching, along with the good actors and engaging story. So who likes quiet, but still exciting entertainment with level, which is served here despite minor weaknesses Best. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: While the image in brighter moments has a high degree of sharpness and in terms of color mixing and contrasts quite convincing, some weak points are visible in darker moments with minor blurring and slight image noise. The sound is quiet and atmospheric, with the dialogue in the German version being more powerfully mixed than in the original English soundtrack. There, however, the ambient sounds come off a little better. Overall, there is a deserved for the technical implementation: good!

Extras: Unfortunately, there are except for the original trailer for the film and a trailer show of the provider no other extras. Too bad!

Conclusion: Stolen Lives - Deadly Moments is an engaging thriller drama that scores points with a cleverly constructed story and good actors. The DVD is of a good standard in terms of picture and sound, with only the bonus material disappointing. Overall, however, it is all enough to warmly recommend the film to friends of quiet thrillers!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp