The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story (2023) User Reviews

Quite a moving abduction story!

[Chartreuse1 · 7/10 · 14 February 2023]

Katie Douglas nails this difficult role. She portrays Kara Robinson, a 15-year old girl whose parents are split up. She and her friend, Jess, are planning to go her lake house but she asks Kara to water the grass.

While outside, a car pulls up and a man gets out and comes over to Kara. He distracts her and then holds a gun to her throat and kidnaps her. Jess comes down looking for Kara and finds no trace of her. Jess calls Debra, Kara's mom, who ends up calling the police who thinks she's run away. But Debra knows better. Meanwhile, the kidnapper takes Kara back to his apt, bound and gagged, and lays out the ground rules while Kara studies her surroundings. The movie then takes a darker turn with all that she has to go through and endure with her captor which the audience doesn't need to see and isn't shown. However, this movie, unlike others, has the victim escaping to tell her story to the police as a survivor! Filmed in Manitoba, the supporting Canadian cast does a fine job. Definitely recommended!!!

If some of the IMDb reviewers were to have a gun pointed at THEIR head they might share a different opinion of this true crime story

[Ed-Shullivan · 7/10 · 2 November 2023]

Of course this LifeTime film ignored some of the more brutal aspects of Kara Robinson's kidnapping and her eventual escape at the hands of her kidnapper Richard Evonitz. Both lead actors Katie Douglas who played Kara Robinson and little known (but busy) character actor. Kristian Bruun who played the real life kidnapper Richard Evonitz excelled in their respective roles.

After Richard is successful in containing the frightened Kara in his apartment he begins to ask her a series of personal questions that any parent of a teenage child would be disgusted with having to listen to, let alone realize what was about to happen to Kara repeatedly over the next 18 hours at the hands of her kidnapper Richard Evonitz.

Escape was on Kara's mind from the get go, and if the viewer realizes that this was an actual kidnapping and sexual assault the viewer need only try and put themselves in Kara's position and ask yourself the following: "Would I have the same determination and focus as Kara did to survive and escape?"

I rate this true crime story a decent 7 out of 10 IMDb rating.

Katie Douglas has a promising career ahead of her ...

[A_Different_Drummer · 6/10 · 14 February 2023]

... and this film is not going to be part of it. On Ginny and Georgia, Douglas manages to make her character stand out by underplaying, and by relying on her natural charisma. On that show, of course, she is aided by A-list writers, cast members, directors. This movie, on its best day, dressed in its best Sunday suit, is a B-movie, with shortcuts taken everywhere. Many obvious opportunities for deep emotional beats are missed, simply because the actors and the script are not up to snuff. The PR package makes a huge fuss about Kara's courage, which, in real life, was staggering. None of that comes through here. Emotions are like a roller coaster. To create the "up," you must first create the "down." By deliberately minimizing the horror of the captivity, writer Haley Harris denied viewers access to the downs. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

A movie desperately in need of a technical advisor!

[LASD_Dad · 16 February 2023]

They really tried hard, but so many scenes were so unbelievable, it was difficult to stay in the story. The police procedures were so bad that it was a good thing the kidnapper decided to kill himself because the entire case would have been thrown out of court on day one.

Entering a dwelling house with no warrant means ALL the evidence subsequently discovered would be thrown out of court. And here in California - and I assume, also in South Carolina where this film is placed - as soon as patrol officers walk through a crime scene without proper overalls or booties, the scene is contaminated. No chain of evidence. No preservation of the crime scene. No nothing.

Yes, it's only a movie but because so much of it was listed as a police procedural drama, they could have gotten ONE thing right.

Plus, the entire arrest and takedown scene was laughably bad. Police officers in South Carolina listening in to two-way radio chatter from Florida? On a 1960's vintage CB radio? Armed kidnapper and they only send TWO Sheriff officers with no backup? The kidnapper pulls a gun and aims it at the officers and they don't shoot? Wow ... those two are about the luckiest (and dumbest) Sherriff officers in the U. S.

It's too bad the great performances and great direction were let down by the meh story and the complete and utter lack of believable police procedures. This was 2002 after all ... not the 1960s!

But Katie Douglas was brilliant with her restrained performance, which was a lot like the real Kara must have behaved in that situation. Sherrif Price was BRILLIANT, and these two and their relationship were the highlight of the movie. The mother basically phoned it in, which is too bad because I enjoyed her in Stranger Things and I know she is capable of a lot more.

moving story, could've been executed better

[kennedz · 6/10 · 12 March 2023]

"The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story" is a gripping true crime documentary that follows the harrowing journey of Kara Robinson, a survivor of human trafficking.

The documentary is a powerful reminder of the horrors of human trafficking and the importance of bringing awareness to this issue. Through interviews with Kara Robinson, her family, and law enforcement officials, viewers are able to gain insight into the tactics and strategies of human traffickers, and the devastating impact that this crime has on victims and their families.

One of the strengths of the documentary is its focus on Kara Robinson's resilience and strength. Despite the unimaginable trauma she endured, Kara shares her story with remarkable candor and bravery. Her courage is a testament to the human spirit and serves as an inspiration to others who have survived similar ordeals.

The film also highlights the importance of collaboration between law enforcement and community organizations in the fight against human trafficking. Viewers see how law enforcement officials worked closely with Kara's family and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to locate her and bring her captors to justice.

However, one criticism of the documentary is that it could have gone deeper into the issue of human trafficking and its root causes. While the film is successful in raising awareness of the issue, it leaves the audience with many questions about what can be done to prevent trafficking and support survivors.

Overall, "The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story" is a powerful and important documentary that sheds light on the dark world of human trafficking. It is a reminder that we all have a role to play in combating this crime and supporting survivors.

The scenes often are abrupt, but this is a moving story

[burgerman93 · 7/10 · 28 May 2023]

I like how this film put more emphasis on Kara's daring escape and the aftermath of the attack. The actual kidnapping and subsequent restraints that the kidnapper used were scary enough, but we also got to see how Kara's strong memory helped the police get eyes on the suspect.

The key to this movie is that Kara is a survivor. She does recognize the trauma of her experience, but she doesn't let it dictate her entire life outlook. And it makes perfect sense that she wanted to seek justice and watch her captor get locked behind bars.

It's not an exquisite film. The boyfriend and best friend characters are left in the shadows. Also the scenes of the police investigative work aren't very well established. I still liked this film enough to recommend it.

Decent

[souleaster · 7/10 · 14 February 2023]

This movie was good, it had a different view on the whole kidnapping documentary genre. It focused on the aftermath of the abduction rather than the confinement during it.

Katie Douglas was a great actress with loads of potential for her upcoming career. I also found it noteworthy that her characters thoughts in confinement were mostly calm.

One of the bad parts were the side characters such as the mother, she feels like she's only there to push the agenda that Kara was a victim. Other side characters also didn't have that great of an effect such as her boyfriend, I feel as if he didn't like console enough but that's just a personal gripe. Finally, I feel like Kara didn't have that much grief towards these events, I understand they were trying to push her as a survivor and not a victim. But the best way would be to show her as both.

Overall - 7/10.

So many pervs out there

[captaintetanus · 5/10 · 24 August 2023]

It's unfortunate how these stories are in endless supply because the pervs who commit these acts are so plentiful.

The main female character and the nice sheriff are both good actors. They're the only reason the movie is better than reading an article instead. The movie is very much a lifetime movie, which makes it not very good imo.

.........Spoiler below....... I did like how they focused on peoples treatment of the survivor after the crime. How people around her gossiped and how police treated her like a victim even though she'd saved herself and neighbors brought food as an excuse to be involved. How the survivor had to comfort others and how she had to thank those neighbors for bringing that unwanted food.

Tough to watch

[paulcroft · 8/10 · 20 February 2023]

Didn't really know much about this story going into it. My wife wanted to watch something that was real and true and this popped up so we gave it a try. About ten minutes into the movie and it became hard to watch. It was really intense and difficult subject matter, but we got through it. I HATED that man from the second I saw him and my hatred never diminished throughout the movie. I know he is only an actor, but he played it so well that it was him I hated and not the part.

The young girl does an excellent job of portraying a girl in a really difficult situation. Listening to the thoughts on her head gives us a unique view on what to do and how to do it. How the real Kara remained calm under intense pressure like this is amazing.

I've seen people say this is for all ages, I don't think so. I think it needs to be seen by people in their early teens, but I wouldn't want younger kids to be exposed to nightmare inducing things like this.

I'm not a fan of Lifetime movies at all, but this was a good one. I spent most of the movie wiping the tears from my eyes. It was that good. I'd have given it a higher rating except for the poor performances by a couple of the actors, but don't let that stop you from watching it.

Meh

[alliedefilippis · 6/10 · 17 April 2024]

At first I was super interested and impressed with the movie I mean the details were just so interesting and the story line was well written and the actors were great but towards the ending the main girl just became so annoying and just wanting to go ti back to normal and the fact she was so annoying she made stop the movie because she became so bratty I mean other than the ending the movie was okay but the movie would have been better if she just wasn't so bratty and it really just ruined the ready of the movie for me so I would recommend the movie cause it's good just the ending wasn't it for me.

Amazing story!! Worth a watch if you don't know the true story of Kara Robinson. The downside is that it's a Lifetime movie

[katiebugg-49971 · 4/10 · 3 April 2023]

This film is based on the true story of Kara Robinson, so if you aren't aware of her story then I recommend watching this. Kara is kidnapped from her friend's front yard at 15 years old. She fights to survive, but will she make it? It's an inspiring story that gives you hope and makes you feel a sense of strength and accomplishment from such a young girl.

The only reason I rated it on the lower end of the scale is due to the fact that it's a Lifetime movie, so it's not high quality drama, cinematography, or story telling. Nor is the acting up to par. But with saying that, there were two parts that made me cry thinking about everything this sweet girl (and the people around her) went through, so even thought it's a Lifetime movie, it obviously does a good job at getting Kara's story out.

A Profile in Courage

[lavatch · 8/10 · 13 February 2023]

"The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story" was not a generic abduction film. Instead of the focus being placed on the period in captivity, the emphasis was on the aftermath when Kara made her daring escape.

There was the thoughtful thematic development of how Kara was not a victim, but a survivor. With a nearly photographic memory and nerves of steel, she was able to inform the police with details about her captor that led to an immediate identification of a serial killer.

The most moving moments in the film were the scenes with Kara and the sensitive Sheriff Price. The sheriff recognized the heroic nature of Kara's acts, the nature of which was remarkable in light of trauma she experienced.

In an age that celebrates victimhood, Kara Robinson refused to play that role. She was hard-wired to discover agency in her experience, which ultimately led to community service as a school and law enforcement counselor. The performance by the actress playing Kara was stellar. Previously, she gave an equally credible performance in a similar role in "Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey." Now, she probed even deeper to do justice in evoking a genuine profile in courage.

Bad Acting

[murillomagdalena · 3/10 · 26 August 2023]

This was a very poorly made movie. The film did not make me feel any empathy with the characters. It is very obvious that they're not experienced actors. In parts of the movie the still pictures do not seem real. When a scene would be over it would go black for about a second, terrible transition because it makes the viewer think that the movie was over. Multiple if not all the actors did not display genuine emotions, the tears were very much forced or none at all. For a victim of such extremity the character's attitude was very nonchalant. Lack of common sense was shown throughout the whole movie.

Really bad film

[d-cisowska · 4/10 · 30 October 2023]

Really bad movie about a horrible story. The acting was awful and wooden, the characters unbelievable. The whole thing with her being completely fine afterwards and people just randomly being in her house not caring what she wants. The wife with the crazy eyes saying that she loves him no matter what. The police officers treating her like a show pony. The police being soooo incompetent. The people at school talking about her while she's right in front of them. Her just smiling when she wakes up, no trauma, no feelings. I know the story is true, but it is just shown in a super unbelievable way. It wasn't even emotional because of that.

Good story, good message!

[Australian1 · 8/10 · 14 February 2023]

The whole movie/story is great! Very well acted by the actress, Katie Douglas. She did a fantastic job.

The message in this story is don't lose it! As she was repeating the words, noting details as best as she could.

Initially, the response from Police3 is typical, they won't do much if anything until 48 hours, runaway, staying with friends, blah blah.

I think young girls/women should watch it, it's almost like a training movie of how to deal with an abduction. That is of course if the abductor behaves like this character. He may just abduct, rape, murder and that's that! Sadly.

I recommend this movie to all ages....

A Painful retread of Believe Me....

[sbaum-95397 · 2/10 · 18 March 2024]

Ok, I get that these are Lifetime movies and acting and writing are not always up to a quality standard. But Katie Douglas sleep walks through this retread of her very watchable movie Believe Me.

Believe Me was a fairly surprising movie to me. I was expecting another sub par kidnapping movie. But she made a pretty solid effort in that one.

If you have seen Believe Me, then you can of course draw some of the similarities that this movie has. She tries to remember small detail things so when she gets free she can give the police the information. This was a good thing with Believe Me. But with The Kara Robinson Story, we are unsure why she even bothered to take in all those details when she was able to escape in broad daylight and could easily determine where her kidnapper lived. There was no need for that info in this one. Speaking of escaping...sigh. Couldn't they have made it just a little harder for her? The guy literally secures her to the bed using simple spring loaded carabiners! She has handcuffs on. Yet they are attached to a carabiner and a not so stout rope. It was laughable. And she makes her way out of bed and the only thing holding the back door in place is a board?!?! All the time I am expecting her to be caught before she gets out of the house. But nope, she just opens the door and runs out, no worries.

The movie suffers from poor writing. Part of it wants to copy Believe Me. Part of it has no clue what it wants to be. The plot, if you want to call it that, is spotty at best. I am truly shocked this movie has a rating over 6.

Katie made Believe me back in 2018 when she played a 17 year old turning 18. Yet 5 years later when she makes Kara Robinson, she is supposed to be 15?? Yeah, I know she is petite and has a youthful face. But she is 25 here and it's difficult to see her as a 15 year old.

Her attitude in this one is a bit annoying. She seems snarky to those trying to protect her. When she is kidnapped and raped she tends to look like she is sleepwalking through it with little emotion.

Katie was likable and had a range of emotion in Believe Me. I cannot say the same for this one.

The movie is full of holes and I have to blame a lot of it on the writing and directing. Or lack of both.

I suppose I walked into this expecting too much. Hoping for an even better movie than Believe Me. But sadly it was the opposite.

Finally a 2023 Lifetime Movie worthy of a 10

[hoops-53436 · 10/10 · 23 August 2023]

Wow! This movie was amazing. Katie Douglas did a top notch job as Kara R. The actors playing Sgt. Jennings, Lt. Rowland, and Sheriff Price were also star worthy.

I noticed one reviewer who wished to see more of the trauma the girl suffered- my gosh, there is already plenty of that on other movies.

Another reviewer says it was sugar coated.

A little research reveals that this movie wasn't just inspired by actual events, it stuck to the facts of the real life abduction. Kara Robinson (now Chamberlain) says that she acted and reacted exactly as Katie portrayed.

I loved the part that demonstrated that Kara (Katie) was the adult and her mother was the child.

A great movie with some great performances. The big takeaway from the movie is that, in life, not everyone reacts to trauma the same- and we are in error if we try to pigeonhole each person's responses as needing to be the same.

eh

[sweetcandybaby-44614 · 1/10 · 14 February 2023]

I love katie douglas shes a great actress she did so amazing in the lisa mcvey movie but this movie is sugar coated and you dont see the actual trauma she went through just what happened after i wish it was more open like the lisa mcvey movie it was also annoying how much you hear the same words over and over again.

This movie could've been a lot better if it wasn't sugar coated Katie Douglas did a good job though but this movie isn't worth watching a second time like the rest of lifetime movies they should've used all of Katie's amazing acting skills but it was a step down but that is just my opinion.

low budget unrealistic

[ajikude · 1/10 · 11 March 2023]

Unrealistic. Doesn't make sense the story. Shows how hopeless the police were. The acting is woody. The dialogue is not believable. The girl acts like nothing happened after doesn't seem believable. Tedious to watch. O think this seems like a remake of an older movie. Its very low budget. The cinematography is mediocre. The dialogue is woody also...seems alot os made up after the fact. Amazing how incompetent the police are in America if this movie is to believed. It was very boring to watch, I had to force myself to watch til the end of it. It just doesn't make sense too . All the actors are so bad.

Good movie

[Innacana · 8/10 · 15 March 2023]

An excellent movie to watch and follow what's been happening. Very simple and easy to watch. No twists or adding fictions or making a long series out of it or no dilutions or no camera shaking. Just pure and simply made to show what happened, facts !

Amazing acting by Katie Douglas. Great expressions at the right times and beautifully played. Can't believe she is 24 in real life but acted as a 15 year old girl in this movie. She is easily believable as 15 here. Would love to watch more of her work in future.

Don't know why other reviewers are so critical and analyzing technically, and lower ratings. This is just a movie based on true story, and I believe the film makers done well in both parts, abduction and aftermath. You guys easily rate garbage movies so high like the new Black Panther, yet rate low on good movies like this one.

"THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED: THE KARA ROBINSON STORY" REVIEW

[Mr-Topshotta · 5/10 · 9 September 2023]

Directed by Simone Stock. A runtime of one hour and twenty-eight minutes. Streaming on Hulu with a TV-14 rating. Based on a true story.

"Kara Robinson" played by Katie Douglas is your average fifteen-year-old. She's inexperienced and thinks she's in love with her boyfriend "Ryan" played by Brandon McEwan. "Kara" has a best friend in "Jess" played by Sophia Carriere whom she's around every living moment. So much so her mom "Debra" played by Cara Buono considers her part of the family.

We Other than her parents being divorced and her dad "Ron" played by Paul Essiembre living five hours away. "Kara" has a near-perfect teenage life. But that all comes to a screeching halt when "Richard Evonitz" played by Kristian Brunn abducts "Kara" right out of her best friend's front yard.

"Kara" is bright and level-headed. She was able to compartmentalize being raped and humiliated. "Kara" used what she learned about her assailant in the brief time she was captured. Not only escaping but using the information she learned to help stop "Richard" from ever doing this to anyone else.

"The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story" was a messed up story. Messed up in what she had to go through. But on the flip side, it also shows how resilient this young teenager was. Teenagers might not make the best decisions when it comes to relationships at times but they are still highly intelligent and can overcome a lot. Especially "Kara" in what should have been a debilitating situation.

When it comes to the actual film I was tricked again. I thought this was a normal film but it turned out to be a lifetime film. Which I won't completely rip lifetime. The series "You" originated there. But this isn't that.

I'll give this some bail because it depicts a true story. Lifetime shouldn't have been the one to do it though. Instead of Hulu purchasing this from Lifetime, HBO, or one of the bigger streamers should have done this.

The transitions were bad and the acting wasn't any better. I wanted to hate the story but I had to keep saying to myself it was not the story it was the acting depicting the story.

I hate that Cara Buono gets pigeonholed into always playing the stereotypical mother. It's so annoying. Side note why were the police so messed up? They seemed to not give a rat's ass about "Kara". I loved the scene when " Kara" gave it to "Sheriff Dale Stevens" played by John B. Lowe who was Luke warm to "Debra" when she was making her initial plea for help.

Overall I was a little irritated with "Debra" and frustrated by "Kara" for how she acted after the whole ordeal. But who am I to say how to process this type of situation? I will say I feel for "Kara's" parents as well. That's a hard situation to be in. You just want to know everything and want to keep your child forever in your pocket. They might not understand that. "Kara" would just have to hate me because I wouldn't have let her out of my sight.

Anyway the film story was five mor fires. I'm glad it got out and was told to the public. I just wish a bigger streamer did it. "Kara" deserved it. Only when it comes to the film aspect, I have to give it two mor fires 🔥🔥.

#CosmoandtheMovieWithin #CosmoMovieBlog #CosmoLanier #TheGirlWhoEscapedTheKaraRobinsonStory.

One of the best Lifetime movies!

[spyderalley · 10/10 · 4 March 2023]

I didn't know anything about the story and am very glad they didn't show the horrific things that happened to her. I liked them showing her thoughts and scenarios "Survive, escape, bang". "Get justice, justice." I am a Lifetime Movie lover, just because they are great to be in the background while doing something else. This one had me watching.

This girl survived an unknown serial killer, memorizing key information, and ended it. The young actress did an amazing job with the "distant stare" that was just perfect. I look forward to seeing her in many more shows!

33 more characters. Now it is met!

Only a Lifetime movie could be this bad!

[nikkistewart1969 · 1/10 · 26 April 2024]

This was the worst movie I have ever seen. The acting was horrible especially from the girl who played Kara. I seriously wanted to shut it off after 20 minutes but had to watch just to see how horrible it truly was! I know this is based on a true story and if you truly want to know about it just Google it. Lifetime movies are horrible! I wish I could have given it zero stars, I know everybody sees things differently but I know there has to be people out there with the same opinion of this movie as me. Well I certainly won't be recommending this to anyone. I don't normally review the movies that I watch but I seriously had to review this one even if it just saves one person from watching it!

The best movie on the subject

[muzikjuliya · 10/10 · 27 February 2023]

Why the best? Because: 1) no violent scenes were shown so as not to hurt the viewer - and that's important and right! In terms of emotion and setting, everything is clear and do not need these scenes from Game of Thrones!!!

2) The emphasis is on the main character who made it! She was able to save herself as well as cope with her despair and made sure that it did not happen again to others.

She is a hero! Thank you for showing strong personalities and setting an example of how such horror can and should be handled!

I think that this film is made according to all canons - serious and accurate.

Teaches you not to give in to fear, but to act, to save and preserve the lives of others.

Thank you for this quality work!

Edge of your seat movie. Grab some tissues.

[satirah-44073 · 10/10 · 25 August 2023]

I was on the edge of my seat most of the movie. The young actress that played Kara did a phenomenal job. I'm unsure why the ratings are so low. If there was anything to improve on, perhaps developing the characters a little more at the start. However it was an excellent movie.

Caution this is not a movie for under 14 minimum.

Sexual innuendo. They did a fantastic job of implying without actually showing any sexual acts.

Kara is a survivor. A hero. Very impressive young lady. I hope the real Kara has an amazing life. There is no way of knowing just how many future potential victims she saved. Including her own.

I don't use the word here very often. I think Kara deserves the title.