We all have had that experience when our phone or electronic device goes off very unexpectedly. It flashes and makes a noise trying to catch our attention. That noise and flash is for an “Amber Alert” signifying a lost or missing child.  Parents dread seeing it because it may be someone they know or have a similar age child of their own. It breaks your heart to see this come up. That’s the premise of the film I’m about to review from director Kerry Bellessa.

A Woman, Jacqueline “Jac” for short, (Hayden Penatierre) is getting off of work and she misses her rideshare and convinces the next person, Shane (Tyler James Williams) who dropped someone off to give her a ride even though he is busy and has to make an appointment with his son. They are driving to her location when an “Amber Alert” comes over Jaq’s phone. She looks up and happens to notice the very same make and model of the car, a New Black Toyota Camry, is just ahead of them in the next lane. Against his better judgment Shane listens to Jac and they start to follow a man the suspect as the kidnapper. This starts them down a path they can’t return from and on a high-speed car chase with the life of a child on the line.

The cast is relatively small, but the members of the cast that are in this movie make a pretty big impact. First, there is the mother Monica (Katie McClellan) who will stop at nothing to get the authorities to issue the “Amber Alert” and start the process of looking for her child. Even doing it without having a license plate number. Second, there is a dispatcher Cid (Sadah Arika Ekilona) does everything she can to help this mother and keep contact with the two people in the car chasing after the suspected abductor.  Third, there is Sgt Phil Casey (Kevin Dunn) who has to get involved in the case and he really gets involved when it truly matters. This small supporting cast does great work in this movie. I believed their motivations throughout the film. 

Even though this is a fictional story there is an element of truth to it. How the man stalks his victim and has various stories to cover his own hires act is pretty remarkable.  This man is a sick man there is no doubt about it. He tries to cover his tracks in multiple ways, but he can’t seem to get rid of the two main characters chasing after him. There is an aspect of this story that isn’t very believable though. Once these two people alert the authorities then they should be finished with their end of it. They shouldn’t be in a car chase and the police wouldn’t be relying on them to retrieve the missing girl from her abductor. That’s a little far-fetched even for me.

With family and friends who had had kids and some of them were still quite young, I can relate to this story in a way. What would a parent be willing to do for their child is something I can’t relate to because I don’t have kids. I can only put myself in the shoes of my friends and family members who do have kids. I was watching this movie on the edge of my seat trying to live vicariously through the Penatierre and Williams characters. This was a rough scenario for me, but I’m sure it would be a hell of a lot rougher for a parent of an abducted child even more.

Amber Alert is a realistic film in some aspects and not that realistic in others. The movie gets its point across though in the end. This is a serious problem in our country. There is no doubt about that. The cast is all stellar, especially Penatierre and Williams. Once I put myself in the shoes of the mother I was instantly drawn into this story. Even though I don’t have kids I could relate on some level to her sorrow.  Any mother would be distraught over having their child abducted by someone. This movie captures that in a realistic way while also throwing in thrilling film stuff for the audience watching. The director  Bellessa had me hooked from the beginning of the film. This wouldn’t be my kind of movie, but with my friends and family having kids I could relate to it on a more human level.

3 ½ stars 

Dan Skip Allen