The thrills come from the two male co-stars: Crowe stars as Terry Thorne, a professional kidnapping expert who is sent to South America to help a family in crisis.

David Morse plays Peter Bowman, an American construction engineer who is building a dam but is snatched one day, on his way to work, by terrorist rebels who use ransom money to run drugs businesses.

Thorne is a professional Kidnap and Ransome expert who comes to the rescue. Meg Ryan plays Alice, Peter's anguished wife, who finds solace in the arms of her husband's rescuer.

The opening sequence shows Crowe as a tough-nut hostage negotiator doing his business in Chechnya. This is a promising start and the rest of the movie does not disappoint.

The action sequences are thrilling and absorbing, although they don't appear until the latter stages of the film.

For the real physical stuff, Morse is the man. The scene in which Peter is frog-marched up hill - growing a more frazzled beard and stressed stance along the way - shows a frustrated yet hopeful man who will struggle at all lengths to return safely to his wife.

The angry and desperate prisoner eventually meets a loony missionary and the two hatch an escape plot that suddenly gives the story even more pace.

This film is definitely better known for what happened behind the camera than what took place in front of it (Ryan and Crowe had a highly publicised affair which led to her separation from husband, Dennis Quaid).

It's clear to see the chemistry between the two and the strong bond that they form throughout the movie makes the audience wonder what will happen when Peter is rescued...

Natalie Stone