The Captive (2014)

Number Rolled: 46

Movie Name/Year: The Captive (2014)

Tagline: When hope is all you have.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Length: 112 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Ego Film Arts, The Film Farm

Producer: Atom Egoyan, Patrice Theroux, Stephen Traynor, Simone Urdl, Jennifer Weiss

Director: Atom Egoyan

Writer: Atom Egoyan, David Fraser

Actors: Kevin Durand, Alexia Fast, Mireille Enos, Rosario Dawson, Aidan Shipley, Ryan Reynolds, Paige Baril, Bruce Greenwood, Scott Speedman, William MacDonald, Jason Blicker, Aaron Poole, Brendan Gall, Peyton Kennedy, Mark Gorodnitsky, Kelsey Ruhl, Ian Matthews, Ella Ballentine, Arsinee Khanjian, Christine Horne, Wayne V. Johnson

Blurb from Netflix: Eight years after their daughter’s abduction tore them apart, her parents receive enigmatic clues from the kidnapper hinting that she’s still alive.

Selina’s Point of View:

The Captive was a rough film to watch, for more than one reason.

First of all, the subject matter is terrifying.

The idea that a ten-year-old could be out of sight for just five minutes and get abducted is chilling. It’d be one thing if the movie showed it happening in a city landscape. That’s something pretty much every parent arms themselves against… but this kidnapping happens in the country. A place that’s supposed to be safe. It sends shivers up my spine.

Second of all, it’s my belief that director Atom Egoyan (Where the Truth Lies, Chloe, Devil’s Knot) did the film a great disservice by telling the story out of order – at least in the way he did it. It was very hard to understand what was happening when. The only reason I’m able to figure out the age of the daughter at the end is because the Netflix blurb says it was eight years later.

That said, I really am glad I saw it.

There’s a great cast involved, and they do some damn decent work. I was invested in everyone’s story and there was only one character that I just couldn’t believe.

Trust me, I don’t have to tell you who he was. I don’t think it’s possible to care about him – even though he was a good guy – because his story was just kind of ‘yadda yadda-d’.

I do recommend The Captive – but watch it when your mind is really able to focus, or you’ll lose track of what part of the story you’re in.

Cat’s Point of View:

This movie certainly started out the week with a bang. This wasn’t an action flick so that was less in the literal sense, but intensity is definitely a keyword here.

Child abduction is one of those tough pills to swallow in a plot. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve glanced away from my daughter for mere moments only to find that she’d seemingly disappeared from where she was supposed to be. That moment of adrenaline-laced panic is horrifying, and leaves your heart pounding even after you know it was a false alarm. I can only imagine what it would be like for that feeling to just linger without any relief.

Just thinking about it makes me want to go do the creepy-mom thing and watch my kid sleep for a while to make sure she’s ok.

Over all, this film was highly successful in creating an atmosphere of tension and dread. The story succeeded in drawing me in – but the road wasn’t smooth. 

It was a bit of a bumpy ride due to the timeline bouncing. A good bit of the film is in flashback but it shifts around to the point that you have to think a bit to figure out what point in the timeline the story’s coming from. It took me out of the experience a bit. I can’t complain too much, given the topic here – but still.

My heart broke for Ryan Reynolds’ (Safe House, Life, The Hitman's Bodyguard) character. I tell you what, though. I got outright mad at his character’s wife.

Mireille Enos (World War Z, Never Here, The Lie) had me so well that I wasn’t even thinking of ‘where have I seen her before’ even though she was a familiar face on the screen.  Don’t get me wrong, though. The other cast members such as Scott Speedman (The Vow, Out of the Dark, Animal Kingdom), Rosario Dawson (Unforgettable, The Defenders, Sorry to Bother You), and Kevin Durand (The Strain, Tragedy Girls, Voltron) were great in their roles, too. I just can’t say a lot without the potential for spoilers.

I really wish they’d found a way to make this flow a little better, but really when all’s said and done, the movie’s powerful enough that it can be overlooked to some degree. I wouldn’t have a problem giving a recommendation for this one, though it might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 30%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 33%

Metascore – 36/100

Metacritic User Score – 5.1/10

IMDB Score – 5.9/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

Movie Trailer: