Tödlicher Handel (2017)

Tödlicher Handel: Directed by Steven R. Monroe. With Gina Holden, Natasha Calis, Raffaello Degruttola, Matthew Ziff. When her daughter is kidnapped in Belize and held hostage to be used for human organ trafficking, Kate Johnson goes on a crusade to infiltrate the cartel and rescue her.

“Canadian actress Gina Holden is both gorgeous and game, but neither quality will suffice to save this sodden, dull, misfit of a film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFrom a production company that almost single-handedly manages to commoditize B-movies as if they came off a conveyor belt (Jeepers Creepers 3, Nightmare Nurse) we have something which, once upon a time, scrawled on a napkin in the back of a bar, must have seemed really clever.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Letu0026#39;s do a version of Taken with a female lead!u0026quot; someone said, then someone else agreed, then a third person raised the cash … and here we are.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe best sequence is the first 4 minutes, which does a pretty good job of establishing Holdenu0026#39;s character as a tough female cop who is not afraid of violence.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWould that we could say the same about the screenwriters, because, after that solid opening, the film chugs along for almost a full hour before we see even a hint of action; and when we finally do, it is too little, too late.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRecommended? No, thank you.”