Kidnapped a.k.a "Rabid Dogs" is a film directed by Italian director Mario Bava. Known for making giallos and low budget fair, Kidnapped is a brutal, intense and creepy hair raising ride that doesn't pull any punches. Doc, Blade and Thirty-Two are a trio of robbers who are looking for a quick score. When their latest heist goes pear shape, the three are on the run after the bloody crime scene with their stolen loot and a few dead bodies. Cornered in a parking garage, the thieves kidnap a woman and evade the police until they stop a middle aged man on the street who has a child in the back seat. Doc orders the man to take his buddies and the kidnapped woman for a ride of town.
The film's production has a long a complicated history. Even though the movie in almost completed in 1974, it wasn't released until 1997. Bava had a lot of trouble finding enough movie to complete the film and cut as many corners as possible to finish it. He even took over the role of cinematographer just to save money. During post-production the film's producer went bankrupt and the court seized the unfinished project shelving it indefinitely. Mario Bava died a few years later never finishing what he called "his most important work". 22 years later, Bava's son Lamberto and producer Alfredo Leone got a hold of the unfinished film and worked on it releasing it on video in 1997.
I found the film to be a very intense one. It was made during the Italian crime drama period of the mid-seventies. Bava's style of film making was perfect for a genre like this and its a shame that he never completed a final cut. But the finished product is a perfect example of what should have been. Bava was in a career slump and this film would have definitely gotten him back on track. If you are into crime drama or Italian thrillers then you must check out Kidnapped or its original edit "Rabid Dogs".
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