Extortion

Extortion (2017) — watch online on iFILM. Directed by Phil Volken, the film opens with a straightforward Caribbean vacation: a doctor (Eion Bailey), his wife, and their young son, a rented boat, a stretch of open water. Then an accident. Then a boatman who is willing to help, but only at a price that keeps going up.

Barkhad Abdi, known from Captain Phillips, plays that boatman — and the casting matters because Abdi brings genuine texture to a character who could easily be a flat threat. He has reasons. That specificity keeps the film from collapsing into pure cat-and-mouse. Danny Glover appears in a supporting role. The production shot on location in Puerto Rico, and the surroundings lend the danger a credible geography.

As thrillers go, Extortion is workmanlike rather than remarkable — it sets up a clear premise, sustains it without major missteps, and lands without embarrassing itself. For a film that asks how far a person goes for family, it earns its runtime. Stream Extortion (2017) in full on iFILM.