The
lowdown: 'Kidnapped' is is the latest
of many adaptations of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel for film and TV.
This
three-part version was broadcast on BBC1 in February 2005, and stars Iain
Glen as Alan Breck, a Highland
rebel
who is fighting the British presence in Scotland, and James Anthony Pearson
as Davie Balfour, a young lad
who
journeys with Breck across the Highlands after fate conspires to bring
them together. Set in 1751, it begins
with
Davie learning from his dying father that he is the heir to a vast estate
in the Scottish Lowlands, and he must
claim
his rightful inheritance from his uncle Ebenezer. However, Ebenezer has
no desire to give up his land, and
first
tries to kill Davie and then sells him to slave traders.
Davie
meets Breck and they fight their way off the slavers' ship, and Davie finds
himself stranded in the Scottish
Highlands,
which is essentially a new world for him. Davie meets up with Breck once
more after a tax collector -
dubbed
the Red Fox by the Highlanders - is shot dead, and they are relentlessly
pursued by Colonel McNab
(Paul
McGann), a commander of the British occupation force, and his team of ruthless
bounty hunters. McNab
will
stop at nothing to bring Breck to justice, including arresting Highland
leader James Stewart (Gregor Fisher
of
Rab C. Nesbitt fame) in his place. James was once a rebel like Breck, but
he now believes that co-operating
with
the British may be the best way for the Scots to survive. However, McNab
puts him in the gallows and vow
to
hang him unless Breck surrenders. Suffice it to say that both Breck and
James survive, while McNab gets his
comeuppance.
The
verdict: 'Kidnapped' is an entertaining adaptation of a literary
classic, boasting a good cast, an excellent
script and high production
values. The first episode takes some time to hit its mark, but things pick
up with the
scenes featuring Davie and
Ebenezer, although the story really comes into its own once Breck appears.
Iain
Glen as Breck is particularly
good, while Glen and Pearson work very well togther. McGann has relatively
little
screen time, and does not
appear until well into the second episode, but he is well cast as McNab.
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