Amber Alert has a powerful premise to work with, but unfortunately, it doesn’t suffice in its prosecution.
Directed by Kerry Bellessa and starring his other half Summer Bellessa as one of the leads, Amber Alert, doesn’t pack as much of a punch as it should do.
It’s not a terrible movie, but the acting is a bit tedious at times and only the last twenty-odd minutes of the movie have much going on.
Sam (Summer Bellessa), Nate (Chris Hill) and Caleb (Caleb Thompson) are making a documentary, and on the way to shoot some more footage they spot a car they see on an Amber Alert posting driving in front of them on the highway. After much persuasion from Sam they decide to actually follow the car to see if they do indeed have the right one. There’s a lot of bickering and dispute over the car but even when they swerve with it off the road and get a chance to speak with the supposed kidnapped girl, Nate persuades Sam to decline. Something they would have wished they hadn’t.
The police aren’t the best in taking things serious and even a sheriff doesn’t take much interest in their claims. I mean why have an Amber Alert if you’re not going to listen to the alert of it by others? The frustration of the characters at times does help you feel what they’re feeling and empathize with them.
The script was quite well written and the dialogue real, the movie does make you wonder “what if” you were in the same situation, but again for the most part of the film you’re just watching three people squabbling in a car.
The ending is disappointing in the sense its not what you wanted to happen but overall Amber Alert has a great plot and I would say give it a chance as it is chilling with its argument, but maybe too real and borderline ordinary for some.
WICKED RATING: 3.5/10
Title: Amber Alert
Directors: Kerry Bellessa
Writer(s): Kerry Bellessa, Joshua Oram
Stars: Summer Bellessa, Chris Hill, Jasen Wade
Year: 2012
Studio/ Production Co: Bluefields Entertainment, Underground
Budget: unknown
Language: English
Length: 80mins
Sub-Genre: Thriller
