Everyone likes a good kidnapping story despite not liking the probability of it happening in real life. There’s a thrill attached to finding out the real identity of the kidnapper and going over the whole process to reach the reason behind such a crime. To quench your curious mind’s thirst for such thrill, we have combined a list of kidnapping movies based on true stories on amazon prime.
Out of the various films mentioned in our list of best kidnapping films, some are based on real-life events where the parents go through emotional traumas after a child goes missing, and it sometimes takes years to find their missing pieces of heart. Others are just based on fiction. If you want to watch good kidnapping films, do follow our recommendations that have been mentioned below.
10 of the Kidnapping Movies Based on True Stories on Amazon Prime
1. Prisoners (2013)
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- Writer: Aaron Guzikowski
- Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, Paul Dano, and others
- IMDb: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Keller Dover faces the nightmare of his life after learning that his daughter Ana and her friend Joy have gone missing. The only hint is the old motorhome that was parked on their street. Loki (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) leads the investigation and arrests the motorhome driver. There wasn’t enough evidence, and hence the driver was released. Dover knew that his daughter’s life was dangerous and had no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
2. Kiss the Girls (1997)
- Director: Gary Fleder
- Writer: David Klass, DJ Hurricane
- Cast: Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn, and others
- IMDb: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 33%
A successful forensic psychologist, Alex Cross, finds his niece missing. He consults the matter with Detective Nick Ruskin and tells him that he believes “Casanova”, an insane killer, is behind her disappearance. Dr Kate McTiernan is kidnapped by the same criminal and notices the other women in his grips. She narrowly escapes and teams with Cross to confront the deranged criminal.
3. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
- Director: Ben Affleck
- Writer: Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard
- Cast: Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Amy Ryan, and others
- IMDb: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Private Detective Patrick Kenzie is hired to find Helene McCready’s missing daughter. The movie is set in the tough Boston suburb. Police chief Doyle has conflicting views about Helene’s daughter as he thinks she’s been missing for 76 hours. Patrick realizes that the threat might be closer to their home.
4. Man on Fire (1987)
- Director: Élie Chouraqui
- Writer: Élie Chouraqui, Fabrice Ziolkowski, Sergio Donati
- Cast: Scott Glenn, Joe Pesci, Jade Malle, and others
- IMDb: 5.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 38%
In Italy, rich families hire bodyguards to protect their family members from getting kidnapped. A wealthy family hires Christian Creasy, their bodyguard, who is an ex-CIA agent. He was hired to protect Samantha Balletto, their daughter.
Creasy hasn’t recovered after the Vietnam War and things that happened in Beirut, Lebanon, after seeing the death of multiple people. Creasy wasn’t interested in serving as a bodyguard to a 12-year-old child, but he had to do it as there were no better options.
It was quite difficult for him to tolerate this girl, and he got tired of her questions. But, gradually, his solid exterior melted away, and he opened up to her. They became friends, and he would protect and guide her in the absence of her parents. Creasy’s life is turned upside down after Sam gets kidnapped by the mafia. He vows Sam’s return and revenge on the kidnappers.
5. Greta (2018)
- Director: Neil Jordan
- Writer: Ray Wright and Jordan
- Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Isabelle Huppert, Maika Monroe, and others
- IMDb: 6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 61%
Greta is a psychological thriller and tells the story of a young woman who becomes friends with a lonely widow.
Frances notices a handbag on the subway in New York. She returns it to Greta, a French piano teacher. She is fond of classical music and tea. Frances recently lost her mother and becomes friends with Greta, who enjoys her company.
Greta’s obsession with Frances increases with each passing day, and now Frances has to take every necessary step to end this toxic relationship as soon as possible.
6. Split (2016)
- Director: M. Night Shyamalan
- Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
- Cast: James McAvoy, M. Night Shyamalan, Anya Taylor-Joy, and others
- IMDb: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Kevin (played by James McAvoy) has 23 personalities and has revealed each to Dr. Fletcher (played by Betty Buckley), his psychiatrist. But there’s still one personality that he hasn’t shown to anyone. This one can dominate all others and might be a potential threat.
Kevin is compelled to kidnap three teenage girls. Casey leads this, and Kevin has to fight a war within and with everyone around him.
7. Not Without My Daughter (1991)
- Director: Brian Gilbert
- Writer: Betty Mahmoody, Sally Field, Sayyed Bozorg Mahmoody, and others
- Cast: Sally Field, Sheila Rosenthal, Alfred Molina, and others
- IMDb: 6.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Betty Mahmoody (played by Sally Field), an American woman, married Moody, an Iranian-American. They live in the United States. Moody informs her that he wants his wife and child to visit Iran, but she is initially reluctant as the country treats women harshly. When they finally arrive in the country, Betty finds out that her husband has plans to stay in Iran. He also has no intention of letting her or their daughter return to the US.
8. Kidnapped: Natascha Kampusch (2010)
- Director: Alina Teodorescu
- Writer: Peter Reichard
- Cast: Natascha Kampusch, Brigitta Sirny, Ernst Holzapfel, Christian Hoening
- IMDb: 5.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: NA
Kidnapped: Natascha Kampusch’s movie is narrated by the victim herself. This documentary tells Natascha Kampusch’s kidnapping story and her eight years of captivity. Wolfgang Priklopil was behind it. Rare footage of the dungeon where she was held from 10 to 18 is also shown. Kidnapped tells us the horrifying details of her case.
9. The Missing (2003)
- Director: Ron Howard
- Writer: Ken Kaufman
- Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Jenna Boyd, and others
- IMDb: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 58%
Single mother of two and a rancher, Maggie Gilkeson (played by Cate Blanchett), witnesses her teenage daughter, Lily, being kidnapped by Apache rebels. She had to accept the help of her father, Samuel, to track down the kidnappers. In this kidnapping movie based on true stories on amazon prime, they must learn to reconcile with each other and get over the past if they want to have any shot at saving their border before Lily is transported across the border to become a prostitute.
10. Cellular (2004)
- Director: David R. Ellis
- Writer: Chris Morgan
- Cast: Jason Statham, Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, and others
- IMDb: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Jessica Martin (played by Kim Basinger) is a schoolteacher. She gets abducted by Ethan (played by Jason Statham), and he brings her to a remote place. There she finds a broken cell phone, and when she tries to call the authorities using it, she accidentally calls Ryan. He is another college student and has the intention to help Jessica. She had no idea about the hideout, so Ryan must find the location before her cell phone dies.
FAQs
Q1: What is the most famous kidnapping?
Ans: Lindbergh Kidnapping is said to be the most famous kidnapping in which a 20-month-old son of Anne Morrow Lindbergh was kidnapped from the nursery situated on the second floor of Lindbergh’s home.
Q2: Is Abducted on Amazon Prime?
Ans: Yes, Abducted is available on Amazon Prime.
Q3: Is Kidnap a movie based on a true story?
Ans: Kidnap isn’t based on a true story but feels eerily real.
Q4: What is the name of the movie on Netflix where a girl gets kidnapped?
Ans: The name of the movie on Netflix where a girl gets kidnapped is Abducted. This true crime documentary is about a family falling prey to the charms of their manipulative neighbor.
