THRILLER

>Rubén Blades He's a Harvard grad, Grammy winner and, since 2004, minister of tourism in his native Panama. Now; 57, Blades (The Milagro Beanfield War) returns to film in the kidnapping drama Secuestro Express.

WHY MAKE THIS MOVIE? [Kidnappings] are a reality in most of Latin America. If we don't stop the freefall of those living on the margins, then we're going to live in primeval times. If you see this film, you will think about it.

HOW'S THE GOVERMNMENT JOB? The bureaucracy drives me crazy. I didn't have a boss for, like, 30 years. But I feel that I am trying my best to help my country.

WHY SHOULD WE VISIT PANAMA? It's not just the canal. It's a very cosmopolitan country. Gauguin lived here before going to Tahiti to paint. And within 40 minutes you can have a dip in the Atlantic and a dip in the Pacific.