Bare chest, bare bones in 'Abduction'

For mysterious, possibly supernatural reasons, the seemingly golden stars of "Twilight" turn into pumpkins whenever they leave that franchise. Kristen Stewart has appeared in good but small-scale films like "Adventureland," which have done small-scale box office. Robert Pattinson, regularly mobbed by fans, couldn't pull them out to his non-vampire dramas "Remember Me" and "Water for Elephants." The next to test his luck is Taylor Lautner, transforming himself from werewolf to action hero in "Abduction."

The role of Nathan Price, a suburban teenager pulled into a web of espionage, is a good fit for Lautner. He has the physique -- rest assured that the shirtless wonder of "Twilight" doesn't cover up here -- along with an appealing, smoldering-yet-bashful persona. You can almost believe that this dark-eyed hunk gets tongue-tied around classmate Karen (Lily Collins, daughter of singer-drummer Phil), at least until events force them together.

Those events begin when Nathan realizes that his parents (Jason Isaacs and Maria Bello, brief but good) are not his real ones. No time for explanations: Their house blows up. Nathan soon discovers he's a human bargaining chip, wanted by the steely Russian operative Kozlow (an enjoyable Michael Nyqvist, of the "Dragon Tattoo" films), and by CIA honcho Burton (Alfred Molina). Even Nathan's shrink (Sigourney Weaver) turns out to be part of the game.

Lautner gets to show off his martial-arts training (and his kissing skills), but his torso is the meatiest thing about this skeleton-thin action flick. Writer Shawn Christensen figures you know how this stuff goes -- the code, the list of names, etc. -- so why bother getting all detailed? Maybe that's why director John Singleton ("2 Fast 2 Furious") seems bored stiff, especially when the film turns absurdly sentimental near the end. If Lautner wants to avoid the "Twilight" curse, he'll need better material than this.