The Entitled

The Entitled

Year: 2011

Runtime: 91 mins

Language: English

Director: Aaron Woodley

CrimeThriller

Desperate for stability, Paul Dynan plots a kidnapping to secure $3 million for his struggling family. He and his crew abduct the socialite children of three wealthy fathers, holding them hostage through a tense night. As the ransom deadline looms, hidden secrets emerge, forcing the fathers to choose between their children and their fortunes.

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Timeline & Setting – The Entitled (2011)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Entitled (2011). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Lakeside house, hidden residence, basement, gas station

The action unfolds across a secluded lakeside house and a hidden residence, with a basement where the captives are confined. A gas station becomes a key crossroads later, as pursuit and deception intersect outside the secluded property. The remote locations create a claustrophobic, high-stakes environment that amplifies fear and manipulation.

🎬 Contemporary crime 🗺️ Remote setting ⏳ Tense atmosphere

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 10:17

Main Characters – The Entitled (2011)

Meet the key characters of The Entitled (2011), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Paul Dynan (Kevin Zegers)

A calculating, ambitious schemer who masterminds the kidnapping for ransom. He controls people through manipulation, fear, and the illusion of innocence. He aims to bind others to his plan, and his framing of the others reveals his callousness.

🧠 Calculating 🎯 Manipulative 💰 Ambitious

Jenna (Tatiana Maslany)

A bright but morally torn student who participates under pressure. She alternates between following orders and questioning the plan, exposing a conscience constantly tested by fear and coercion.

🧭 Ambitious 🕊️ Moral conflict 🔪 Dangerous

Dean Taylor (Devon Bostick)

A thrill-seeker who craves real power and violence; He seeks a role in the chaos and escalates as he pursues cruelty and dominance.

🔥 Impulsive 🗡️ Violent 🎭 Unpredictable

Clifford Jones (Stephen McHattie)

A determined father figure who collaborates in the scheme and pushes for the ransom, even as the situation spirals beyond control. He faces moral strain balancing his child's safety with ruthless tactics.

👔 Protective 🧠 Calculating 🕵️‍♂️ Complicit

Richard Nader (Ray Liotta)

A fatherly partner whose fear of loss drives him to arrange the ransom, though he is hampered by delays and competing demands. He becomes a reluctant participant whose absence or lateness heightens tension.

💼 Calculating 🧠 Distant ⚖️ Guilty by association

Nick Nader (Dustin Milligan)

A captive who resists, acts in self-defense, and ultimately survives alongside Hailey, choosing not to name Paul and leaving questions about guilt unresolved.

🧠 Wary survivor 💪 Resilient ⚖️ Self-preserving

Hailey Jones (Laura Vandervoort)

One of the captives who endures fear, escapes with Nick, and shows quiet resolve. She bears trauma but ultimately withholds the agent of the crime by not naming Paul.

💪 Resilient 🧭 Traumatized 🔒 Secretive

Bob Vincent (Victor Garber)

Jenna's father whose concern and timing around the ransom influences the investigation and the course of events. He wrestles with responsibility and protection for his family.

💼 Worried Father 🧠 Strategist 🤝 Responsible

Jeff Vincent (John Bregar)

Bob's son who becomes the victim of the kidnapping. His death marks a turning point in the plot and amplifies the moral stakes for all involved.

🔫 Victim 💔 Tragic ⚠️ Catalyst

Driver (Anthony Ulc)

Clifford's driver who assists in moving the plan forward. He remains a secondary instrument rather than a driver of the action.

🚗 Driver 🧭 Co-conspirator

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 10:17

Major Themes – The Entitled (2011)

Explore the central themes of The Entitled (2011), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🎭 Power & Manipulation

The plot centers on Paul's ability to bend others to his will through money, leverage, and calculated moves. He orchestrates every detail of the kidnapping and uses fear to maintain control over his accomplices and victims. The story reveals how a determined, young mind can weaponize vulnerability into a chilling form of power.

⚖️ Moral Ambiguity

Characters drift in shades of guilt as they choose between self-preservation and ethical lines. Jenna's reluctant complicity and Nick's survival instincts test what counts as responsibility. The outcome blurs lines between victim and perpetrator, leaving viewers to question intent and accountability.

💥 Violence & Consequences

Escalation from kidnapping to murder and near-ruin shows how fragile life becomes under pressure. The violence triggers a chain reaction, forcing characters to confront the real cost of coercive schemes. The ending underscores that actions have lasting, unintended consequences.

🪪 Deception & Framing

Deception drives the narrative, with Paul manipulating events and framing others for the chaos. The attackers' careful misdirections complicate law enforcement and memory, leaving truth obscured. The finale hints that memory can be unreliable, letting the true instigator escape attribution.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 10:17

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Crime plots that spiral into chaos like in The Entitled

Meticulously planned heists and schemes that spiral into bloody, unpredictable chaos.If you enjoyed the way The Entitled's kidnapping scheme fell apart, you'll find similar tension in these movies. Explore thrillers and crime dramas where meticulously planned operations descend into violence and betrayal. These stories capture the anxiety of a plan unraveling, leaving characters trapped in a situation far worse than they imagined.

suspensefulanxioustreacherouschaoticdesperateunravelinggrim

Narrative Summary

These narratives typically follow a clear 'plan-and-fall-apart' structure. They begin with a detailed setup of a criminal enterprise, then introduce a series of escalating complications—double-crosses, unforeseen events, or internal conflicts—that shatter the original blueprint, leading to a climax of violence and moral compromise.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here by their shared focus on the inevitable collapse of a criminal plan. They share a high-tension, fast-paced experience where the central appeal is watching confidence turn into desperation and order dissolve into violent disorder.

Bleak crime thrillers with moral decay like The Entitled

Gritty stories where crime exposes the rotten core of human nature.Fans of The Entitled's grim and uncompromising conclusion will appreciate these movies. Discover similar thrillers that explore themes of desperation, betrayal, and class conflict, culminating in bleak endings. These films are heavy, suspenseful, and focus on the psychological damage and moral collapse caused by crime.

grimbleaksuspensefulparanoidmorally ambiguousdarktraumaticdesperate

Narrative Summary

The narrative journey in these films is a downward spiral. Characters, driven by desperation or greed, commit acts that erode their humanity. The conflict often highlights social inequalities or deep-seated corruption, leading to an ending that feels morally ambiguous or outright bleak, with justice being absent or perverted.

Why These Movies?

These movies are united by their heavy emotional weight, tense atmosphere, and ultimately pessimistic outlook. They share a focus on the psychological fallout of crime and a tone that is consistently grim, paranoid, and suspenseful, resulting in a powerful, if sobering, viewing experience.

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The Entitled Summary

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The Entitled Timeline

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The Entitled Timeline

The Entitled Spoiler-Free Summary

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The Entitled Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Entitled

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