Extortion (2017)

My Review

“Extortion” is a movie thriller about an American couple and their five-year-old son stranded on a deserted island in the Bahamas. They think they are rescued when two locals discover them, but they abduct the mother and son and hold them for ransom. The thugs force the husband to scramble for one million dollars! Director-screenwriter Phil Volken has put together a surprisingly solid storyline that holds together throughout the 109 minute running time, excellent for an indy film.

The cast deliver good performances, including Eion Bailey and Bethany Joy Lenz as the troubled couple, Mauricio Alemany as their little boy, Barkhad Abdi and Jorge Cabrera as the kidnappers, Tim Griffin as the U. S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, and Danny Glover as the detective constable. The very watchable “Extortion” was a flop at the box office for producer Phil Volken, Del Ray Productions, 13 Films, Producer Capital Fund, and Lionsgate Entertainment. It has done much better on DVD and on streaming services.