The central character in the would-be thriller "The Abduction of Zack Butterfield" is an Iraq war vet at loose ends, determined not to let her psychosexual problems and taste for violence go to waste. In a rural suburb of upstate New York, she kidnaps a teenager to make him her boyfriend, maid and partner in musical duets.
Subscribing to the philosophy that creepy equals interesting, the film contains barely a moment that isn't flat-footed, ludicrous or both.
As 26-year-old April, Brett Helsham lends her role the twisted self-certainty it demands. Inspired by high school teachers who have affairs with their students, the attractive ex-soldier is determined to create her ideal man. She shifts gears on a dime, while star athlete Zack (T.J. Plunkett) shrewdly bides his time. The young actor can do only so much with dialogue that sounds nothing like a teen boy's voice, though.
