Search - Towards Darkness on DVD


Towards Darkness
Towards Darkness
Actors: America Ferrera, Roberto Urbina, David Sutcliffe, William Atherton, Tony Plana
Director: Jose' Antonio Negret
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense
R     2008     1hr 33min

A tense 90 minute look into a kidnapped hostage's life, and the frustration his family, a special ops team, and a man delivering the ransom money all face as they rush to save him.

     
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Movie Details

Actors: America Ferrera, Roberto Urbina, David Sutcliffe, William Atherton, Tony Plana
Director: Jose' Antonio Negret
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Sub-Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Studio: Peace Arch Entertainment
Format: DVD - Color
DVD Release Date: 07/22/2008
Original Release Date: 01/01/2007
Theatrical Release Date: 00/00/2007
Release Year: 2008
Run Time: 1hr 33min
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 1
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Languages: English

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Member Movie Reviews

Richard W. (rewfilmmaker) from NAPLES, FL
Reviewed on 3/16/2013...
Overall this movie is not bad but comes across as muddled. Part of the reason it comes across like this is because of the confusing array of competing political factions and of how the victims aren't sure of who's behind the crimes. A similar theme was treated in Proof of Life (2000) with Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan but the characters there were more clearly defined and that movie had a happy ending. This movie is similar to the movie Traffic as it drops you into the middle of a wide-spread crisis with no clear solution and lets you marinate in ambiguity.

Movie Reviews

Towards Darkness tells brilliant but tragic story
Neil and Tracy | IA | 07/15/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Towards Darkness (Hacia La Oscuridad) is a bilingual (English/Spanish) thriller crime drama based on the award-winning short film "Darkness Minus Twelve", from 24-year old writer/director Antonio Negret. The feature film stars Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe winning actress America Ferrera (Ugly Betty and Darkness Minus Twelve) as the love interest of Jose Gutierrez (Roberto Urbina), a Columbian photographer living in New York.

The movie opens after Jose has returned home to Colombia to visit family for Christmas. He is kidnapped, a common occurrence in the country. His kidnappers have threatened to kill Jose if his family does not pay a ransom promptly. The family knows they do not have the money and feel helpless since involving the police can do more harm than good. They turn to a covert American special ops team to help rescue Jose before the pending deadline.

Inspired by the true life experiences of Negret, Towards Darkness portrays the very real tragic kidnappings that hinder the Columbian culture and affected three of Negret's family members. He turned his personal family tragedy and life altering experiences into a multiple-awarding winning drama that helps bring to light the very real turmoil of kidnap-for-ransom that undermines the public face of Columbia as a thriving nation.

The movie begins with the kidnapping and then moves forward with two parallel stories. One shows the effort of Jose's family and their American covert ops team to track him after the kidnapping. The other story goes back in time and shows Jose's life in New York, his flight to Colombia, and his initial (sometimes frightening) encounters with friends and family upon his return. This piece of the movie also offers the romantic component, as past loves, Jose and Luiza (Ferrera), reconnect prior to the kidnapping.

As the race against the clock heats up, emotions run high. The covert ops team works quickly to locate the target while also working to arrange for ransom payment. We also see the ugly side of the violent business underground in Colombia. Towards Darkness is an intense, action-packed, extremely well-written and directed story that is especially impacting because it is based on real events and real life for many families. Negret is a brilliant young mind who has obviously persevered to tell his story. Ferrera is great and the movie in general is well-acted. This is one of the most well-developed, complete movies we have seen in a while. Viewers need to be prepared to watch as it is written for the sophisticated movie watcher. Towards Darkness is brilliant to the shocking conclusion!

Get more details and watch the trailer for this and other upcoming and new release movies at: [...]."
Taut thriller about a tragic reality
Brendan M. Howard | Olathe KS | 06/11/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Colombia has been host to regular kidnappings for years now. Rebels and criminals seek ransoms from EVERYBODY all the time. This movie brings this national tragedy to light in a flawless, sparklingly well-done drama. America Ferrera is great, but every role is cast well."