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The Kidnapping of the President

Play trailer Poster for The Kidnapping of the President R Released Aug 15, 1980 1h 53m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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A Third World terrorist holds the handcuffed U.S. president (Hal Holbrook) hostage in a booby-trapped armored truck.

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The Kidnapping of the President

Critics Reviews

View All (1) Critics Reviews
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Dec 18, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jacqueline K absolutely embarrassing Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/01/24 Full Review Audience Member The President of the United States is kidnapped by South American freedom fighters on Canadian soil en route to make a speech about oil independence in Toronto. An embarrassing situation all around, not just for the secret service but also the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and all Canadian citizens. A wise choice by the Prime Minister to cede juristiction for the handling of this situation to William Shatner. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member The Kidnapping Of The President is a really fun thriller to watch despite plot holes and bizarre casting choices. While it's a thriller that isn't exactly original, I found it to be an interesting and compelling thriller that is exciting, action-packed, funny, and has plenty of goofy 80's charm to keep it lively and fun. I think it's a very underrated film that is way better than people would like you to believe. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Edge-of-your-seat thriller has The President kidnapped by a terrorist while on diplomatic visit to Toronto. An embarrassing example of crowd control for both the Secret Service and the RCMP. Sadly, no one seems to take Secret Service man William Shatner's security warnings seriously until its too late and when they don't follow his crisis management, dire consequences always ensue. Canadian production visits many familiar settings in downtown Toronto, with Nash the Slash providing his first soundtrack. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member An okay TV movie, there are a lot of stars in this movie, but the story isn't great. It has a couple of suspenseful scenes, but overall it's just okay. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Can Captain Kirk save the president? Yeah, this movie is predictable and cheesy, but hey, it's got Shatner! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Kidnapping of the President

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A Third World terrorist holds the handcuffed U.S. president (Hal Holbrook) hostage in a booby-trapped armored truck.
Director
George Mendeluk
Producer
George Mendeluk, John Ryan
Screenwriter
Richard Murphy
Production Co
Presidential Films, Sefel Films
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 15, 1980, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2019
Runtime
1h 53m
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