Originally released 2008 the film Amber Alert: Terror on the Highway comes to DVD for the first time. The fast paced thriller uses the immediacy of the emergency alert system designed to find a child abductor before he can do extreme harm. The awareness system was named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old who was abducted and murdered in Texas in 1996. Using all media to put out the alert, the general public becomes the eyes of the police in a widespread area.
While the success rate has been significant, not all abductions have been thwarted and the perpetrators found. This is a fictional tale of one such abduction of two girls, one of whom is under the age of 18.
The film opens with ex-con Ed Larson (Tom Berenger) stealing a gun and other items from a couple at a campground. The next morning he approaches two women in the street and forces them to give him the keys to their car. Moving on Ed robs a convenience store at a gas station and heads for his house in a remote area of Oregon. That evening Ed pulls into a wooded area called The Lookout to unwind. While there 17 year old Katie (Britt McKillip) and 18 year old Debra (Genevieve Buechner) get abducted by Ed being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The abduction isn’t what Ed really wanted, but he starts to realize that there’s no way out. He decides to take the two teens on a joy ride. The police lead by Chief Geiger (Torri Higginson) get into the act from reports by witnesses to the kidnapping. Director George Mendeluk (with over 70 credits, mostly television movies) moves his film along at a fast pace showing Ed’s bad side, a refusal by his ex-wife for him to see his daughter and his breakdown that leads to kidnapping the teens. Its Geiger’s quick acting and persistence that leads to using the Amber Alert to inform people of the abduction and Mendeluk uses his star to show urgency and the seriousness of the situation.
Mendeluk works with a lot of new talent and it shows in their acting. But when it comes to the main characters the pros take over. It was great seeing Tom Berenger back on the big screen creating the fearsome ex-con who has nothing to lose creating havoc with his wanton kidnapping. He shows Ed’s intensity as he plays out the chase and aftermath. He carries the film on his back, and saves it from being nothing more than a made for TV movie.
Both mothers played by Nicole Oliver as Cynthia Gleeson mom of Debra and Chilton Crane who plays Marie Hughes the mother of Katie do an outstanding job of showing the angst that surrounds the parents of an abducted child. Oliver works her role with a passionate denial that it couldn’t be Debra, while Crane shows her fine acting ability in a plea to not hurt her daughter.
The film does a good job of showing how an amber alert can bring enough attention to a crime such as this to yield help from the community. Involving the news media, radio stations and other types of information services, it can make a difference between life and death. I can see why this film, originally on TV in 2008, deserves another release to strengthen the alert system. It makes more people aware of the Amber Alert tool for parents and solicits more eyes to participate in caring it out.
While all US States have adopted the system, there are requirements to use it. Law enforcement must confirm that the abduction has taken place; the child must be at risk of serious injury or death; there must be sufficient descriptive information of child, captor, or captor’s vehicle to issue an alert; and the child must be under 18 years of age. While most states adhere to the requirements closely, some have made it easier to put the Amber Alert into effect.
Amber Alert: Terror on the Highway has not been rated by the MPAA or Television rating system, but contains violence and language. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for adolescents.
Specifications and additional film information:
- Cast: Tom Berenger, Torri Higginson, Britt McKillip, Genevieve Buechner, Nicole Oliver, Chilton Crane, Jessica Parker Kennedy and Tyler Johnson
- Director: George Mendeluk
- MPAA Rating: Unrated, contains violence, language
- Genre: Action, Drama
- Running Time: 1 hr 30 min
- Video Release Date: July 28, 2014
- Original Film Release Date: January 25, 2009 (Television)
- Language: English
- Format: DVD
- Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Video: 16×9 Widescreen
- Number of Discs: 1 Disc
- Distributed by: Nasser Entertainment
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
