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      The Kidnapping of the President

      R Released Aug 15, 1980 1h 53m Mystery & Thriller List
      Reviews 36% Fewer than 50 Ratings Audience Score A Third World terrorist holds the handcuffed U.S. president (Hal Holbrook) hostage in a booby-trapped armored truck. Read More Read Less

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      The Kidnapping of the President

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      Critics Reviews

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      Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Dec 18, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      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 Audience Member Not as good as it seemed on paper. Will Shatner plays the assistant director of the Secret Service assigned to protect President Hal Holbrook. This was just before TJ Hooker surfaced on TV. Great villain, but the whole actual kidnapping plot was a bit too far-fetched and demented. It was strange to see Ava Gardner acting as in the style of 1950s film. Very low-budget production that suffers on the screen... Better off with Clint Eastwood's 'In The Line of Fire'! Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Kidnapping of the President

      The Kidnapping of the President (1980) The Kidnapping of the President (1980) The Kidnapping of the President (1980) The Kidnapping of the President (1980) The Kidnapping of the President (1980) View more photos

      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
      Joseph Sefel
      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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