In the Line of Duty - Kidnapped

It is quite saddening to think that despite the fact that there are so many classic movies yet to get a DVD release, we are already being treated to television movies and, unfortunately, no amount of technology can make this look good.

Timothy Busfield - of thirtysomething fame - is Pete Honeycut, one of those live-on-the-edge type cops who seem to populate TV drama. He has a son, Sam (Erik von Detten), whom he neglects because of his obsession with work, and is about to face his toughest adversary yet in the form of Arthur Milo (Dabney Coleman), who has enough wit and charm to just about elevate this film above the dire.

Milo is kidnapping children and returning them for a ransom. He is smarter than your average kiddysnatcher, having seemingly open access to intimate details of his victims' lives - and Honeycut's.

What follows is little more than a by-numbers cat-and-mouse chase. The script is witty in places, but appallingly schmaltzy and clunky in others, leading you to suspect that, were it not for the presence of Emmy winners Coleman and Busfield, this would never have seen the light of DVD day. It does have one or two small twists up its sleeve, but unless you are a die-hard fan of either actor, you will find little to entertain.