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What's better than ransom?

T

TI Irwin

So a family is at home, and the husband is away. BOOM, criminals enter the house and hold the family at gunpoint.

Cut to the husband. This is a "tiger kidnapping" where the criminals are forcing him to do tasks and threatening to kill his family if he refuses/screws up.


Here's what I was hoping for ideas on:

WHAT IS THE CRIMINAL'S OBJECTIVE?
I feel that bank robberies and ransom are too cliche a motive for my bad guys.
I was hoping for another idea on what they want the husband to do that they can't do themselves. This would more than likely relate to the husband's occupation.

I was thinking along the lines of having him set up an assassination but that also seems a little cliche.

What I also think would be cool is if the criminals had "good" motives in some way. This is not essential, but at the very least I want them to be after something other than greed.

Any ideas?

Thanks - TI
 
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Maybe it's just all an intricate diversion -- send our hero on a wild goose chase, and all of the police along with him, so that the bad guys can boost a bunch of gold bullion from the federal reserve, using dump drucks to haul it away. It might be even better if the villain has it in for the hero, because the hero killed our villain's brother a few years back.

;)
 
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Cracker Funk said:
Maybe it's just all an intricate diversion -- send our hero on a wild goose chase, and all of the police along with him, so that the bad guys can boost a bunch of gold bullion from the federal reserve, using dump drucks to haul it away. It might be even better if the villain has it in for the hero, because the hero killed our villain's brother a few years back.

;)
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Cracker, don't copy Lethal Weapon...

A far superior storyline would be a nuclear weapon plant covering up a ecosystem problem and agents from that plant kill a Boston detective's daughter because she's part of a green peace hippy group and that detective makes it his life's work to find and kill the murderers.
 
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Cracker Funk said:
Maybe it's just all an intricate diversion -- send our hero on a wild goose chase, and all of the police along with him, so that the bad guys can boost a bunch of gold bullion from the federal reserve, using dump drucks to haul it away. It might be even better if the villain has it in for the hero, because the hero killed our villain's brother a few years back.

;)
Click to expand...

I think I know who I would want to play the leads. Dave Shapelle and Liam Neason. :D
 
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The dad is a manager at the local McDonalds and these criminals want chicken mcnuggets before lunch-time (it's 10AM). He has an hour to get them the nuggets, or his family dies.

And the oscar for best screenplay goes to...
 
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Murdock said:
I think I know who I would want to play the leads. Dave Shapelle and Liam Neason. :D
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Bingo!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=866yr_Oj5IA

Okay, now for a serious response to the question. My first instinct is that no matter where you take this plot, it's gonna get too convoluted.

If the kidnapper wants some particular task excecuted, why don't they just do it themselves?

Maybe the father has access to some special place -- somewhere the kidnapper can't get access to, so they hold his children as ransom until he does whatever task needs to be accomplished in that high-security place.

However, while Dad is out and about doing his ransom-required-task, why doesn't he just get the police on the line? In order for the kidnapper to successfully pull off a complicated scheme like this, I feel like they would have to have access to a great deal of resources. And if they have access to a great deal of resources, why don't they just do their own robberies, or whatever mayhem they're trying to create?

I just feel like no matter where you take this plot, you're going to end up with Sam Jackson and Bruce Willis doing puzzles in Central Park, and the weakest outting in a four-part series.

So, I guess, if I were to sum up my advice, if you decide to go forward with this story-structure, follow the KISS method -- Keep It Simple, Stupid.
 
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How about this.

The husband must put on a ski mask and hold another family hostage. Turns out the original bad guys are in the same situation--someone else made them do it. It's all orchestrated by the wife with some kind of wacky motive. Or maybe orchestrated by the husband in the first place, and he's using it as an alibi when he gets caught.

Just an idea.
 
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Okay, Im gonna have to stop giving these ideas away. :) I wish I could get paid. Anyway.

The husband is a politician. He has a rival. He is willing to kill him but that would be too obvious. So he arranges the kidnapping of himself, unknown to the kidnappers. They are to make him "assassinate" the husbands opponent. Once the assassination is complete, the husband reveals the "codeword" that was prearranged witht he kidnappers.

You add your own twist and spins but thats a general idea.
 
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WOO! I didn't expect so many responses in such a short time. lol

Thanks for all the suggestions people!

Zensteve, that's a really good question.
All I can say is that's just how I write... I just bounce ideas around in my head and play connect the dots.

I just knew I wanted this to be a hostage story, because I got a cool idea on a home invasion. I'm a secretive bastard unfortunately so I don't want to give it away because it's make or break for initial surprise in the movie.
 
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Bah, it's OK Murdock.

TI never responds to my brilliant ideas for his scripts. Look at the last thread he asked advice on. I offered an awesome murder mystery where the only evidence was the Google Earth camera truck... Brilliant...

I feel like Einstein.
 
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ROC said:
Bah, it's OK Murdock.

TI never responds to my brilliant ideas for his scripts. Look at the last thread he asked advice on. I offered an awesome murder mystery where the only evidence was the Google Earth camera truck... Brilliant...

I feel like Einstein.
Click to expand...

Really, that's a pretty cool idea....If you're Einstein can I be Max Plank
 
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