Patty Hearst

Paul Schrader's film recounts events beginning in 1974, when Patty Hearst (Natasha Richardson) is kidnaped by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). The story continues through Hearst's 57-day SLA indoctrination, her participation in armed banked robberies, her capture by the FBI, and the trial that ended in her being sentenced to a term in prison. For the first third of PATTY HEARST, director Schrader forces the audience to share Hearst's ordeal during her period of captivity, and this is a very effective sequence. However, once this section is completed, Schrader pulls away from his protagonist and the film becomes far less engaging. The cast is quite g...