Flight of the Innocent (1994)

Director Carlo Carlei's jittery, restless camera seems to grab you by the lapels in Flight of the Innocent. This surprising Italian movie grippingly tells the tale of a boy (Manuel Colao) fleeing a gang of murderous kidnappers after the massacre of his family, a rival clan in the abduction business. Sometimes a little too delirious for its own good, and not always entirely believable, the movie nevertheless manufactures heart-in-the-throat excitement as it portrays the world of kidnapping-for-ransom in modern Southern Italy. What raises it above the ordinary is the consistent point of view of the child, which gives the film a heart. B+