Reclaim

"This scam that you're talking about might be true but it also might not be so you have to keep looking for her." Shannon (Lefevre) and Steven (Phillippe) are Americans who have traveled to another country in order to pick up the daughter they have adopted. The girl loves them instantly and the parents feel the same way. When they wake up one morning and find her gone they run to the police who tell them about a common adoption scam that is being run. The new parents decide to take it upon themselves to get her back anyway they can. This is a movie that I wasn't expecting a whole lot from but was pleasantly surprised at how much I like this. The movie was tense and gripping almost the entire time. The emotion of parents having their child taken really helps you get sucked in and you are right there with them hoping they find the girl. While it is sometimes predictable it doesn't distract from the intensity and I liked this quite a but. Overall, a gripping movie about a real problem in the world that I recommend watching. I give this a B.

The movie is based on a very real problem that is out there. People profiting of other peoples hurt and desires. Of course the normal way to help one self is harder to walk and it's tough to have to wait. But if you take a shortcut, you shouldn't be too surprised if there are some consequences.

That being said, I'm not saying that people have it coming or they deserve what might happen to them. I'm saying, be cautious and maybe this movie will make you think before you do something "shady" or engage on something that looks that way. The movie is heightened obviously, but it's decent and has enough tension to keep you attached

Ryan Phillippe and Rachel LeFevre are a pretty well to do yuppie couple who are in Puerto Rico looking to collect a daughter they've adopted who was orphaned from the earthquake in Haiti. It's an adoption agency run by Jacki Weaver and the couple has laid down some heavy bread for their new daughter Briana Roy. Before they leave the little girl up and disappears. Phillippe and LeFevre have been good and had as police lieutenant Luis Guzman tells them.

But the kidnappers are from finished, especially after the head kidnapper John Cusack hears how rich these two are. That was their undoing, they should have cleared out and run with what they had.

Cusack is a particularly nasty piece of work, but he has a lot of problems controlling his henchman Jandres Burgos who has some real management issues. He dislikes Phillippe instantly and he dislikes each and every thing about him, looks, money, beautiful wife.

Reclaim is a film about adoption scams. God knows there's a lot of third world kids out there and a lot of childless parents like Phillippe and LeFevre who can't have children and it's a terrible heartache that real bottom feeders like Cusack and Weaver seek to exploit.

A lot of good location cinematography in Puerto Rico is featured with some nice shots of Old San Juan and the rain forest and beach. The cast is good and the climax is a thriller.

Steven (Ryan Phillippe) and wife Shannon (Rachelle Lefevre) get caught up in a child trafficking scam when they go to Puerto Rico to adopt a young girl.

The above is all you really need to know. If you take the language out this would be a tepid made-for-TV movie. The script is lame, the acting is okay but there is no pull here. In other words no real reason to continue watching. There are no twists. What you see is what you get and that is not saying much. If you are not familiar with human trafficking then this is a primer for you: Human Trafficking 101.

Very disappointing. It should have had more impact, importance that would have showcased a very big worldwide problem: human trafficking. Didn't happen.

Normally, I run to a John Cusack movie. Now I have to rethink that. Like I said: disappointing. (3/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

Human Trafficking by way of an Internet Scam "Selling" Children to Desperate, Wanting Rich Parents Trying to Avoid Red-Tape, with the Pretense of Legitimacy.

The Low-Budget Movie starts with the Devastation of a Haitian Earthquake and its Aftermath. The Orphaned Children are then Exploited as Product.

Puerto Rican Locations Highlight the Backdrop to what amounts to a Frantic Chase to "Reclaim" a Little Girl that has been "Reclaimed" by the Traffickers. It's a Battle of Brawn with very Little Wit on Both Sides.

John Cusac vs Ryan Phillippe and Rachelle Lefevre with Little Briana Roy as the "Daughter"/Package.

It's Suspenseful Enough with the Action and Acting on Par with the Production, Especially Cusac who Elevates the Proceedings in quite a Slimy Role in this Formulaic Film.

Worth a Watch for Interested Viewers but don't expect any Surprises, It does have a rather Distant Feel considering the Up Close Situation of a "Family" Torn Apart and the Urgency Involved.