Stolen Lives (2009)

0% of critics liked it
(20 reviews)
40% of users liked it
(2,201 ratings)

Mad Men star Jon Hamm headlines this unusual low-budget mystery-thriller, as Detective Tom Adkins, a man haunted relentlessly by the disappearance of his ten-year-old son, Tommy, Jr. No leads immediately turn up in that case, but he does receive an early-morning phone call that draws him to the… More Mad Men star Jon Hamm headlines this unusual low-budget mystery-thriller, as Detective Tom Adkins, a man haunted relentlessly by the disappearance of his ten-year-old son, Tommy, Jr. No leads immediately turn up in that case, but he does receive an early-morning phone call that draws him to the mangled and mutilated remains of a young boy slain 50 years prior. Tom takes on the case in an attempt to find absolution, and a second tale evolves, set 50 before, involving a man named Matthew Wakefield (Josh Lucas) and his son John. The baffling similarities between the Wakefield case and Tommy Jr.'s mysterious fate push Tom to the brink of sanity and ultimately lead him on a collision course with fate. Gradually, one step at a time, Tom stumbles onto the horrifying truth about what happened to his boy. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Anders Anderson
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Mar 5, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Jun 29, 2010
Studio: IFC Films

Critic Reviews

Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times
A leaden murder mystery with a clunky structure that swings back and forth between 1958 and 2008, Stolen wastes the talents of a reasonably good cast.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
Not a masterpiece, perhaps, but technically polished, with inspired performances and enough suspense that by the time Mr. Hamm found the redemption that freed him from his own demons, I was so wired I needed a Valium.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
No one is able to make much of the disposable script, but Hamm is so limited by the period trappings that it seems as if he simply wandered onto the wrong set.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Plays like a middling episode of Law & Order: SVU, drawn out an extra half-hour and embellished with pretentious literary and cinematic flourishes.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Though generally ham-fisted, Stolen may appeal to Hamm's more die-hard fans.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
[A] graceless piece of tragedy porn...
Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
Presented in a barebones, uninspired package, Stolen takes an interesting premise and turns it into an unforgivably predictable and flimsy genre hybrid, something gravely akin to a bad episode of Cold Case.
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis
Unvarying in tone and style, it's a rough slog.
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
This gravely serious drama is as insular as a tomb with Muzak.
Annlee Ellingson, Moving Pictures Magazine
Hamm's and Lucas' performances are fine, but first-time director Anders Anderson is heavy-handed and overwrought, portraying emotional turmoil with clichés.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
One poorly told story would be bad enough but with "Stolen" we have two.
Robert Levin, Film School Rejects
Every bit the unpleasant slog one might expect, glum and murkily shot, wallowing in pedantic histrionics and badly lacking the breathing room it desperately needs.
Noel Murray, AV Club
The low-boil mystery-thriller Stolen was once known as The Boy In The Box and then Stolen Lives, but now has a title as nondescript as its contents.
Mark Peikert, New York Press
Hamm himself is too smart a performer for movies like these, but let's write it off as a canny career move to take a vacation from Don Draper and his glumness.
Kevin Lee, Time Out New York
Anders Anderson's thriller struggles to intertwine the two mysteries and ends up doing justice to neither.
Donald J. Levit, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Not pretentious in its implications, 'Stolen' nevertheless depends excessively on coincidence, on unlikely connections and not clearly differentiated characters.
Andrew Schenker, Slant Magazine
Stolen reveals a filmmaking hand in need of a considerable amount of seasoning.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Josh Lucas, Jon Hamm, Jimmy Bennett, Rhona Mitra, James Van Der Beek, Jessica Chastain, Beth Grant, Rutanya Alda, Morena Baccarin, Christian Bender Director: Anders Anderson Summary: Investigating the mystery behind the mummified, half-century-old remains of a young boy… More
Cast: Josh Lucas, Jon Hamm, Jimmy Bennett, Rhona Mitra, James Van Der Beek, Jessica Chastain, Beth Grant, Rutanya Alda, Morena Baccarin, Christian Bender Director: Anders Anderson Summary: Investigating the mystery behind the mummified, half-century-old remains of a young boy found in a box at a construction site gives a detective (Jon Hamm) key clues to his own son's disappearance eight years prior. My Thoughts: "The mystery of the story is good and really keeps you at bay to who has taken/killed these children. But once he is shown, I was definitely surprised. The story unfolds in flashbacks. I found the Wakefield story more interesting then the present one. But there were character's and some scenes that just didn't need to be in the story or just didn't make sense. Like (a previous reviewer mentioned) the gas station couple. He was way to protective over his wife for her to be out late at a bar. Just didn't make sense. I will say the stories are both sad and you feel for the fathers. But Rhona Mitra gave a wooden performance and I found it hard to believe her as a mourning mother. Besides those bit of annoyances, it was a good suspense/mystery film."
Cynthia S

Dark, grim, and emotionally gripping murder mystery that spans 50 years. From the onset the movie has a grim feel to it, and as it flashes back and forth between 2008 and 1958, you are slowly engrossed in a serial killer mystery. The performances by all are very good. The story is a… More
Dark, grim, and emotionally gripping murder mystery that spans 50 years. From the onset the movie has a grim feel to it, and as it flashes back and forth between 2008 and 1958, you are slowly engrossed in a serial killer mystery. The performances by all are very good. The story is a very sad one, as any movie that revolves around child murders would be. Good movie, leaves you thinking.
Walter M

It is 2008 and Detective Tom Adkins(Jon Hamm) is called to a crime scene at a building site with his wife Barbara(Rhona Mitra) to see if the body is that of their son who disappeared from a diner eight years previously. It turns out that it is not theirs since the body is fifty years… More
It is 2008 and Detective Tom Adkins(Jon Hamm) is called to a crime scene at a building site with his wife Barbara(Rhona Mitra) to see if the body is that of their son who disappeared from a diner eight years previously. It turns out that it is not theirs since the body is fifty years old. It is 1958 and Matthew Wakefield(Josh Lucas) has two days to make a payment on his mortgage or the bank will foreclose on his house. In fact, he does not even have that much time when his wife hangs herself. And then it turns out that his sister Coral(Kali Rocha) can only take in two of his sons, leaving John(Jimmy Bennett) in his care. "Stolen" might possibly have had a chance at success if it had stayed mostly with solving the 1950's mystery in the present because all we need to know about Matthew is that he is a drifter with a son, along with Jon Hamm nailing the anguish of a grieving parent perfectly. That's not excusing the movie's predictability, rendering it pretty much routine anyway, as this is the kind of movie that is designed to get under the skin of parents by warning them never to turn their backs on their children for a second or else very bad things will happen.(Look, I hate kids, will never have any and frankly don't care.) But blinking is still okay.
Jeffrey M

The cast was certainly better than the material. An interesting premise taken to an unbelievable conclusion, Stolen Lives is a flawed movie. But I couldn't help but like the somber tone, and the 1958 storyline I found significantly more compelling than the modern day storyline.… More
The cast was certainly better than the material. An interesting premise taken to an unbelievable conclusion, Stolen Lives is a flawed movie. But I couldn't help but like the somber tone, and the 1958 storyline I found significantly more compelling than the modern day storyline. Being a big Mad Men fan I really like Jon Hamm. But I worry he won't escape the fate of David Duchovny. Duchovny was born to play Fox Mulder, and has found dubious success outside of that role. Jon Hamm was seemingly born to play Don Draper, but outside of that role he's yielded similar results as Duchovny.
Deb S

A police detective, Tom Adkins (Jon Hamm), is haunted by the disappearance of his son 8 years ago. Then he discovers the remains of another boy, John about the same age as his own son, who was murdered 50 years previously. He becomes obsessed with the case, which has been… More
A police detective, Tom Adkins (Jon Hamm), is haunted by the disappearance of his son 8 years ago. Then he discovers the remains of another boy, John about the same age as his own son, who was murdered 50 years previously. He becomes obsessed with the case, which has been long-forgotten, to try to find some vindication for what has happened to him. Is the 1958 case, involving down-on-his-luck dad of three family man, Matthew Wakefield (Josh Lucas) and his own son's disappearance linked in any way to that of Tom Adkins? The usual guilt and strain on his marriage to Barbara (Rhona Mitra) ensues, as he tries to go through life with this unsolved mystery haunting him because possibly, Tom might be the only one who can achieve justice for John, Matthew, and perhaps for his own son.
Christopher H

Do not expect any Mad Men performances here. The biggest reason to see Stolen is strictly for the cast and only a handful of the cast at that. Those who are looking for a striking genre piece or stroke-of-genius storytelling would do best to look for it elsewhere.
Sarah P

I liked the intertwined stories between the 2 time periods.
Jason R

I really enjoyed Stolen Lives (Stolen) it isn't anything special or particularly memorable but the actors involved are great, and the story is well written.