User Reviews

Low budget, low grade thriller which cynically pretends it is dealing with the issue of child trafficking.

In fact its just a dumb trailer with multiple endings to pad out its short running time and lack of main plot.

Steven (Ryan Phillippe) and Shannon (Rachelle Lefevre) are a couple who have received a multi million dollar payout after an automobile accident which also left her unable to have kids.

They take part in an adoption process abroad to take care of an Haitian girl which is going to cost them a lot of money. Just before the process is finalized the keep bumping into Benjamin (John Cusack) and then later realise that the girl they were hoping to adopt has disappeared and the whole adoption process was a scam. As the local police tell them, the girl was reclaimed and the scam will move on elsewhere.

However the schemers want more as they become aware that our couple have serious money so go for a big payday by kidnapping them.

The film has a flimsy plot and flimsier action and just when you thought its all over we get a literal cliffhanger and then some more.

The film actually feels longer than its short running time. It is a straight to pay TV film which has bagged a couple of well known names who perform adequately with a poor script and not very good direction. However the actress playing the adopted girl was very stiff and inanimate. If I was adopting her I would had asked for a refund.

"This scam that you're talking about might be true but it also might not be so you have to keep looking for her." Shannon (Lefevre) and Steven (Phillippe) are Americans who have traveled to another country in order to pick up the daughter they have adopted. The girl loves them instantly and the parents feel the same way. When they wake up one morning and find her gone they run to the police who tell them about a common adoption scam that is being run. The new parents decide to take it upon themselves to get her back anyway they can. This is a movie that I wasn't expecting a whole lot from but was pleasantly surprised at how much I like this. The movie was tense and gripping almost the entire time. The emotion of parents having their child taken really helps you get sucked in and you are right there with them hoping they find the girl. While it is sometimes predictable it doesn't distract from the intensity and I liked this quite a but. Overall, a gripping movie about a real problem in the world that I recommend watching. I give this a B.

Human Trafficking by way of an Internet Scam "Selling" Children to Desperate, Wanting Rich Parents Trying to Avoid Red-Tape, with the Pretense of Legitimacy.

The Low-Budget Movie starts with the Devastation of a Haitian Earthquake and its Aftermath. The Orphaned Children are then Exploited as Product.

Puerto Rican Locations Highlight the Backdrop to what amounts to a Frantic Chase to "Reclaim" a Little Girl that has been "Reclaimed" by the Traffickers. It's a Battle of Brawn with very Little Wit on Both Sides.

John Cusac vs Ryan Phillippe and Rachelle Lefevre with Little Briana Roy as the "Daughter"/Package.

It's Suspenseful Enough with the Action and Acting on Par with the Production, Especially Cusac who Elevates the Proceedings in quite a Slimy Role in this Formulaic Film.

Worth a Watch for Interested Viewers but don't expect any Surprises, It does have a rather Distant Feel considering the Up Close Situation of a "Family" Torn Apart and the Urgency Involved.

The idea of the movie is great. It's suppose to be a great thriller. The man who wrote this script must find himself another job, because he has done all he can to ruin it. it's so unreliable and has so many holes and problems. If i ignore the script and the bad acting, the sites of the film are very beautiful. i don't understand how John Cusack agreed to play in this movie. Luis Guzman got himself a bad role, and he performes very badly in it. I think he was discussed of the script so much he couldn't do it right. If you like thrillers, do yourself a favour and DON'T watch the movie. Sometimes the score of a movie in IMDb lies, but this time i think the grade of the movie does a mercy with it.

Ryan Phillippe and Rachel LeFevre are a pretty well to do yuppie couple who are in Puerto Rico looking to collect a daughter they've adopted who was orphaned from the earthquake in Haiti. It's an adoption agency run by Jacki Weaver and the couple has laid down some heavy bread for their new daughter Briana Roy. Before they leave the little girl up and disappears. Phillippe and LeFevre have been good and had as police lieutenant Luis Guzman tells them.

But the kidnappers are from finished, especially after the head kidnapper John Cusack hears how rich these two are. That was their undoing, they should have cleared out and run with what they had.

Cusack is a particularly nasty piece of work, but he has a lot of problems controlling his henchman Jandres Burgos who has some real management issues. He dislikes Phillippe instantly and he dislikes each and every thing about him, looks, money, beautiful wife.

Reclaim is a film about adoption scams. God knows there's a lot of third world kids out there and a lot of childless parents like Phillippe and LeFevre who can't have children and it's a terrible heartache that real bottom feeders like Cusack and Weaver seek to exploit.

A lot of good location cinematography in Puerto Rico is featured with some nice shots of Old San Juan and the rain forest and beach. The cast is good and the climax is a thriller.

Steven (Ryan Phillippe) and wife Shannon (Rachelle Lefevre) get caught up in a child trafficking scam when they go to Puerto Rico to adopt a young girl.

The above is all you really need to know. If you take the language out this would be a tepid made-for-TV movie. The script is lame, the acting is okay but there is no pull here. In other words no real reason to continue watching. There are no twists. What you see is what you get and that is not saying much. If you are not familiar with human trafficking then this is a primer for you: Human Trafficking 101.

Very disappointing. It should have had more impact, importance that would have showcased a very big worldwide problem: human trafficking. Didn't happen.

Normally, I run to a John Cusack movie. Now I have to rethink that. Like I said: disappointing. (3/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

A well-to-do couple from Chicago (Ryan Phillippe & Rachelle Lefevre) travels to San Juan to adopt an orphaned girl after the earthquake in Haiti. Everything is going fine while they wait for the girl's papers to be finalized, but then all hell breaks loose. John Cusack plays a friendly neighbor while Luis Guzmán is on hand as a police chief.

"Reclaim" (2014) is a drama that turns into crime thriller and jungle adventure (sort of) highlighted by the lush Puerto Rican locations, a quality cast and an increasingly compelling story. Cusack's performance alone is worth the price of admission. Critics complain about some clichés or problematic parts, like the cliff sequence and the girl with the gun, but it otherwise delivers the goods for this type of movie.

The film runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in Puerto Rico.

GRADE: B-/B.

Here goes an hour and a half of my life for nothing. the acting was very bad (even John Cusack's), the directing is very very bad. the story itself is not solid, and the reason for the couple to adopt is repeating itself over and over, directors have to find a new reason for couples to adopt other than that story. i think the story shows how naive this couple was, and how they got themselves in trouble, and the funny thing is they won against a very bad people, loaded with guns and criminal history. the husband doesn't look of the type who will beat a whole gang, and he looked as comfortable with the places he is in as it were his neighborhood.

I don't recommend this movie at all, very bad and a waste of time.

The movie is based on a very real problem that is out there. People profiting of other peoples hurt and desires. Of course the normal way to help one self is harder to walk and it's tough to have to wait. But if you take a shortcut, you shouldn't be too surprised if there are some consequences.

That being said, I'm not saying that people have it coming or they deserve what might happen to them. I'm saying, be cautious and maybe this movie will make you think before you do something "shady" or engage on something that looks that way. The movie is heightened obviously, but it's decent and has enough tension to keep you attached

I never give movies a 10 as it's hard to find a movie that's perfect but I don't know what the heck these other reviewers were watching that this movie has such a low rating. This was a very good movie and if you are a fan of either John Cusack or Ryan Phillippe I think you will like it. I am a movie fanatic, I see many hundreds in a year and I can personally say I've seen so so many bad movies that I've almost given up on giving any I've not seen a chance. So many times I'll see a movie that has positive reviews with a high rating and after seeing it I find I'm disappointed. This is a good thriller that shows just what people will do for their children even when the child is newly adopted and hasn't yet become accustomed to the parents and a different way of life. I don't know why all the hate and negativity about this movie but if people who saw this thought it was bad I implore you to see the Great Gatsby as that was truly not a good movie and I love Leonardo DiCaprio. I have loved him forever and I make it a point to see any and everything he's been in but that movie was awful. The Counselor with Michael Fassbender and Penelope Cruz is another bad movie, I couldn't even finish it as it was so bad I wasn't able to. Stop hating on this movie and give it a chance.

While Reclaim has a good intention of showcasing human trafficking issue, the absolute mess that is its production will not reach out to anyone. Practically any element of the movie suffers, from the shabby acting, poorly constructed action scenes, choppy editing to cheap plot devices. It even goes to the realm of implausibility at times, making it a below average movie, even by the standard of B-movie.

Story follows a couple who tries to adopt a little girl, strangely in an exotic place. Steven (Ryan Phillippe) and Rachel (Rachelle Lefevre) have no idea that the adoption process is a scam. From there they fall deeper into tourist trap and have to face Benjamin (John Cusack) for their money and possible survival. Acting is flimsy even though the leads have pretty respectable resumes. The husband and wife are probably the less awful personalities to watch, it's supposed to be easy to root for them, but they rehearse the same sad story and make incredibly dubious decisions.

Ryan Phillippe and Rachelle Lefevre perform decently, although the script doesn't really support them. At least they are believable enough as the couple. John Cusack doesn't deliver a stellar performance. He seems more disgruntled than menacing here. All the other characters are simply too detached, but the worst is the cast of Briana Roy as Nina. The film relies on relationships between the new parents and the child, and she's just not capable to exhibit that kind of chemistry yet.

Most of the time Nina would just stand rigidly, and it's partially the mishap of the directing effort. Scenes are not put in smooth fashion, it almost seems like the actors are confused mid-scene. The movie already starts slow, but as it progresses it becomes silly, using poor plot devices for dramatic effect. As though fooled by online scam isn't precarious enough, the characters often dive to one inconceivably bad situation to the next.

After a while the camera work degrades significantly. It's wobbly on the action, especially a couple of chase scenes which are confusing at best. Towards the end it awkwardly implements CGI from last decade instead of actual action choreography. This looks very plastic and unconvincing, the practical effect doesn't fare better with ridiculous fake blood. It also fails to utilize the exotic scenery as it goes into random abandoned building, alleyway or forest when it needs to deliver the climax.

Whatever message and decent premise Reclaim might have, they are utterly squandered by the abysmal production value. If you want a better experience of the premise, Nat Geo or even Youtube documentary will provide that for you.

Me and my husband watched this and liked it a lot. It's not a crazy big movie but the married couple (Rachelle Lefevre and Ryan Phillipe) were very real and I think it showed a married couple becoming parents very well. I cared about them and when things started to go south it was very suspenseful which I thought built well and as the stakes rose and the action began it was all very exciting. John Cusack was also very good in this-- he played the bad guy but in a very different way then you've seen before and it was really a joy to watch. The scene at the end with Jacki Weaver and him was one of the best I've seen in a long time. Briana Roy the girl is going to be a star she was so adorable! All in all we were very entertained throughout so what more can you ask for?

I was lucky and was able to see this last night with my boyfriend at the premiere @ Harmony Gold in Hollywood. I didn't know what to expect but I have to say it was very refreshing. It's low budget so you have to account for that but the action sequences and actors are all very solid and Ryan Phillipe and Rachelle Lefevre give the most convincing portrayal of a married couple and new parents that I've seen in a long time. The fact they are so convincing I think is what makes it so good. I really cared about them and as the the problems kept escalating it was like you couldn't breath it was so suspenseful. Also John Cusack is great- his performance is much different then you would expect and I really think it worked. Plus the little girl Briana Roy is awesome! This is a small movie but a good one. A thriller about real people in a bad situation as opposed to drug dealers and superheroes. They should make more movies like this.

Review: I wasn't that impressed with this film because it looked cheap and the director didn't do a good job with such and important concept. Its about a young girl who gets adopted by a loving couple who pay a lot of money to fast track the transaction. After obtaining the child and falling completely in love with her, she ends up getting kidnapped with a high price on her head. Its not the most original storyline that I have seen and it really lacked emotion from the actors, which was surprising because Ryan Phillipe usually puts in a good performance. It all seemed a bit cheap and I'm not surprised that it went straight to DVD. There are a few intense scenes when the couple are trying to rescue the young girl, but they weren't that amazing. The storyline was predictable from the beginning to the end and the gullible couple should have thought twice before handing over so much money to the people who were selling the girl. Man On Fire and Ransom dealt with this subject matter much better so this film has to get the thumbs down from me. Disappointing!

Round-Up: John Cusack was surprisingly quite poor in this film and the loving couple, played by Ryan Phillipe and Rachelle Lefevre, seemed disconnected from each other, throughout the movie. It really is a made for TV type of film because you can tell that it was made with a low budget. I personally think that the movie would have been much better if the young girl was kidnapped from people who lived in Haiti because it would have seemed more real. Anyway, there are a couple of car chases which perk the movie up a little but the whole thing was quite dull and I struggled to stay awake.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/thrillers about a young girl who gets adopted by a young couple and gets kidnapped and held for a hefty ransom. 2/10