Captivity Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Top cover girl and fashion model, Jennifer Tree (ELISHA CUTHBERT) has it all - beauty, fame, money and power. Her face appears on covers of hundreds of magazines. At the top of her game, Jennifer is America's sweetheart. She is loved and adored and sought after. Everyone wants her. But someone out there has been watching and waiting. Someone wants her in the worst way. Out alone at a charity event in Soho, Jennifer is drugged and taken. Held captive in a cell, Jennifer is subjected to a series of terrifying, life-threatening tortures that could only be conceived by a twisted, sadistic mind. Inspired by the fact that over 850,000 people are reported missing every year in the United States, many of whom are never seen again, CAPTIVITY, follows the story of one woman who is abducted and tortured, held against her will in a place where days turn into weeks. Her will to escape and survive is challenged every moment by a maniac's desire to demoralize innocent victims and play out his sick game that has been played many times before Jennifer was taken. A combination of SAW and HOSTEL meets SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, CAPTIVITY is a psychological thriller/horror film that shows us the true terror of the crimes of abduction and confinement that are committed every day by serial killers and psychopaths at large. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Roland Joffe (THE KILLING FIELDS, THE MISSION), CAPTIVITY delves deeply into the minds of both captor and victim with a fresh and terrifying view of this epidemic horror. Being released this summer in theatres nation-wide, CAPTIVITY has been called one of the most controversial films of the year. It's a disturbing and raw, yet classy and thought provoking film which will leave you terrified, and looking over your shoulder as you leave the theatre wondering if you could be next.
| Elisha Cuthbert | Jennifer |
| Daniel Gillies | Gary |
| Pruitt Taylor Vince | Ben |
| Laz Alonso | Disantos |
| Michael Harney | Bettiger |
| Rebekah Ryan | Mother |
| Michael Maples | Photographer |
| Elijah Runcorn | Older Boy |
| Remy Thorne | Young Gary |
| Olivia Negron | Spanish Woman |
| Chrysta Olson | Mary |
| Roland Joffé |
5.80 out of 10 (354 votes)
Visitor Reviews
you're mine now...
posted on 22 Aug 2009A model is drugged, kidnapped and subject to harrowing torture in a cell of horrors in this spine chilling horror thriller. Jennifer is young, beautiful and famous. Everybody knows her name and her popularity brings her everything she wants in life, but one mans jealousy lures Jennifer to a dimension in torture when she finds herself drugged, captured and held in an underground maze of terror. Taken against her will and subject to psychological punishment, Jennifer soon questions her sanity as her watchful tormentor pits her in numerous twisted traps. After struggling to keep her mind, she meets with Gary, another prisoner in the sick games and together they try their wits to escape from the cells and defeat the madman behind the sick games....if you are familiar with the T.V show 24, then this film will come as no surprise to you. while watching this, you know it should really be called Kim Bauer: the movie, as Cuthbert just reprises her role from the show, just that this time, shes a little bit more famous, and Jack isn't there to help her.I was expecting something a little bit more special considering this was by Joffe', but it just milks the gore-nography cash cow, a little bit of 'saw' mixed with a margin of 'hostel'.the only saving grace about this film is Pruitt Taylor Vince, who now must be coming a little irked being typecast as the villain whose not quite, since well, fear back in 1990.apart from a genius bit of marketing, the film has nothing really new to offer, and Cuthbert doesn't really prove her worth.really straight to DVD quality movie stuff here.
Another one of those unoriginal horror movies
posted on 22 Aug 2009This movie was very bad. The worst Saw movie was better than this. Acting was non existent. Elisha Cuthbert was about as unconvincing as her breast enhancements. I can not remember seeing worse acting from a supposed superstar. I have watched many bad B horror movies and the acting was better than this Elisha Cuthbert. The movie explored no new areas. A mystery bad guy with people on surveillance. Sound familiar folks ? Quite frankly I may be a bit harder than usual on this movie . I am just annoyed at this slew of movies that just copy each other. My advice watch the Saw movies over and over. Elisha Cuthbert is just so annoying you want the bad guy to put her out of her misery and make this a short.
Disgusting, but not in a fun, horror-movie way
posted on 20 Aug 2009I'll keep this short; thanks to Greg for helping me to put this succinctly: Captivity is about a guy who drugs a girl's drink, imprisons and tortures her, then poses as a captive to have sex with her. That is the single twist and punchline of the film. It's torture as slow motion date rape. And, it's not even a good movie. It's not so bad it's good; it's just bad.It should also be mentioned that among critics, there is a "spoiler code" that they dare not break, even though some were tempted to on this one because it is so vile. Why NO ONE had the cojones to step up and say, "this is garbage, and this is why," is beyond me.Don't give your money to these poop-peddlers.
Captivity - Not worth the watch
posted on 14 Aug 2009I was definitely disappointed in this film. When I saw that it starred Elisha cuthbert then I imagined a high budget film with well written script and heart stopping action, but I guess I was typecasting her because of her role in 24. The scenes are set well in this movie and at times I did jump when the tension was fuelled, but overall I didn't enjoy this film. The dialogue was poor, the acting was the same and the film had a edge to it, which was hard to understand. The two men were kidnapping these women and subjecting them to terror and pain before killing them, getting off on the fact that they had 100% control of them. But one question I have is.....What was the guy at the beginning of the film all about? Why was he not explained? If these guys preyed on only women, then what was he? Why was he there? And this is the question I am still asking now, because the film left me with unanswered questions. The copper got up in the kitchen, why didn't he reach for his radio and call for help before he got up.....Hasn't he been trained in these matters before? The film moved in a weird way and made the viewer feel ill at ease at times. For something which had a good publicity campaign, I expected more.
If you seen one SAW rip off...
posted on 12 Aug 2009You seen em' all & although this baby isn't nowhere near as gory or violent as that film, it still provides the usual gross out for horror fans. ELISHA CUTHBERT is a beautiful model who one night is abducted & wakes up in a room. Her only companion is a nice looking young man in one of the other rooms whom she keeps in contact with, however while looking for a way out, she discovers that there's plenty she didn't know about why she was abducted, who abducted her & the terror that will soon follow. CAPTIVITY might have had an edge on the competition had we not seen this type of film before, as is, it remains yet another tired & cheap rip-off of the SAW series & makes one wonder when these rip-offs will end. The acting was good & so was the direction. The film even manages to give us some neat twists & a rather intriguing ending, but again, most viewers will probably find themselves groaning over the familiarity of the worn out tale. Not a bad movie per se & has it's moments, but not enough to make it rise above the other SAW rip-offs or make you remember it a few weeks from now...**1/2 stars
Horror movie
posted on 06 Aug 2009I saw this movie and I have to say that it is scary and I understand why the MPAA is all up in arms over its ratings. This type of movie can get into the mind of some people and lag behind as a memory. Violent and gore scenes , to a young viewer can shock and traumatize and this movie can do that if you are not careful to the plot. I am not comparing this movie to faces of death or anything like that but, man, it does have some nasty stuff. Elisha Cuthbert does a good job with her character and really takes the model for a ride. I think I enjoyed this movie thoroughly and I bet many people will. I did not understand all of the symbolism but hey, it's a movie and it entertains. I think that the killer really went out of his way to do the things he does. Although his has plenty of gore, the reshoots will put even more in it, which will make the movie in better.
One Of The Worst Film By Far
posted on 04 Aug 2009i went to see the movie expecting the best, i like Elisha Cuthbert n first of course the trailer of the movie. but when i actually watched it, i was truly disappointed!!! the movie was not good at all! no scary, no suspense n no nice. the acting was pretty decent actually, but because the dumb script, the actors couldn't act good. it's like horrible! and in fact the story was kind of lame. really. the dialogs were slow and stupid, plus the scenes were total imprecisely! and, the ending could have been better. but, i think it couldn't. i have no idea why the movie can be such a crap! but no wonder the movie flopped! overall, Captivity shown something horrible and crappy of a movie... sorry, but as the matter of fact, Captivity should not deserve 10 for the rating. not at all! it was utterly disappointed! by far, one of the worst, stupid and the dumbest movie in summer 2007. oh in fact, the most horrifying film of 2007 by far.
Unpleasantly Surprised, In A Good Way
posted on 25 Jul 2009I didn't really want to see this movie. I'm not much into the genre and frankly I was kind of angered by the billboards that got taken down. But there was not much else to go see if you're not a Harry Potter fan. I was pleasantly, rather, unpleasantly surprised.This is good thriller. I loved Elisha Cuthbert. I thought she did a great job. I was plenty scared and truly worried for her. There is some pretty hot stuff between her and Daniel Gilles. Gilles has a chance to be another Hollywood heartthrob. I believed in her character and cared about what happened to her.It's not at all what I expected from this movie. Though there are pretty gratuitous torture scenes most of the movie was internal and really tackled fear unlike I've seen in a movie before. It not anything like Hostel or Saw both of which I didn't care for.I'd recommend this for anyone who wants a good thrill and doesn't mind blood and gore.
Mind Games
posted on 25 Jul 2009Yeah, this film is scary alright, I don't know where to begin I saw this movie at a screening and it looked frightening, I think that they did a good job with everything , except I think they could of used a little bit more gore. I don't believe that they ran the plot to the ground, cause this movie can actually happen in real life. How many times has someone been kidnapped on the streets? Hundreds, thousands hell even millions of times, now imagine being tied down. This type of incidents happen all the time to celebrities around the world. I could imagine how Elisha's character is having the fright of her life. The symbolism in the movie is kind of weird and I don't really get it. The tarot cards and the sand threw me off, I don't know whether he used those things to tell him what to do next. The gore, well it could use some more, and hopefully with reshoots there will be plenty more gore.
The Incredibly Redundant Torture Show
posted on 09 Jul 2009The so-called "Torture-Porn" sub genre of horror is still relatively new but it has already worn out its welcome and, since these movies have very little style and substance to offer, the producers resort to other ways to promote their film and attract large audiences. "Captivity" achieved this – successfully, I may add – through a controversial advertising campaign with provocative and shocking posters showing the female protagonist (young and uprising "24" beauty Elisha Cuthbert) undergoing various stages of physical abuse. The campaign naturally caused a lot of complaints, and even though all the billboards were removed before the film premiered in theaters, the publicity mission was definitely accomplished. Needless to say the actual film isn't worthy of any media attention, as it's just another dreadful, vulgar and incredibly mean-spirited imitation of such movies like "Saw" and "Hostel". Actually, I stand corrected … "Captivity" is a new record low in the field of torture-porn flicks, because this one has absolutely nothing to offer except for gratuitous sickness. I honestly expected a little more from the director of "The Killing Fields" and "City of Joy" (what a drastic career change) and the writer of imaginative horror classics like "It's Alive", "God Told Me To" and "Maniac Cop". Cuthbert plays a successful young model that gets drugged in a nightclub, abducted and locked away in a dark cellar full of cameras and torture devices. Her unseen kidnapper is obviously a copycat of the Jigsaw Killer, as he/she confronts Jennifer with her deepest fears and little sins through recorded TV-interviews and archive footage of talk show appearances. The poor girl is forced to drink milkshakes made from blood and human eyeballs, nearly drowns in a tank full of sand and sees her beloved dog blown to little pieces right before her eyes. "Captivity" is particularly unpleasant because the themes of abduction and abuse are approached so emotionless and crude, like it's the most common thing for a beautiful girl to deal with demented stalkers and psycho fans. Also, and even far more irritating, the script reverts to some of the most dreadful and ineffective clichés to draw the character of the abductors and clarify his/her motivations. One could righteously claim the events in "Captivity" are far more realistic than those in the aforementioned films "Saw" and "Hostel", but still this doesn't make the film disturbing or involving. It's voyeuristic, utterly tasteless, needlessly exploitative and nauseating movie.
Trust me, you have better things to do with your time...
posted on 13 Jun 2009Elisha Cuthbert was perfectly fine in the recent House of Wax (which was the same kind of role), but occasionally seems totally adrift here. This is the fault of the director (Roland Joffe - who was once a decent film-maker), but it's hard to single him out for criticism as every single aspect of this film seems to be just as lousy and half-arsed as the next. The look of the film, the story, the characters and the dialogue have no personality or life of their own and instead are clearly uninspired wholesale rip-offs of those found in the likes of the Hostel and Saw films and then reassembled into this dull, turgid, mess. If you want an example of an inept, unloved, souless, studio-funded zeitgeist cash-in flick then here it is. Avoid.
Yet another low point in the horror genre this year. (plot details and spoilers mentioned)
posted on 11 Jun 2009The trailers for Captivity suggested at best another Saw or maybe a Hostel movie. However having seen it I have to say this doesn't come anywhere close to those 2.The movie is about a model played by Elisha Cuthbert who is abducted and then terrorized in what appears to be a dungeon. She finds out that there is a man trapped in the room next to her. They both plot their escape while wondering who the abductor is, and what he wants....Okay, sounds like another Saw. And with a story and co-written by Larry Cohen, who also wrote Cellular, Phone Booth, and made movies such as The Stuff, Q The Winged Serpent, The It's Alive trilogy, and directed by Roland Joffe, who directed 2 of my favorite movies of the '80s, The Mission and The Killing Fields, this should have had the potential to be something good.However...First off, whereas the Saw trilogy had some nasty moments, but got by on some interesting twists in the plot, this is nasty. And not in a good way. The scenes of suffering that Elisha Cuthbert has to put up with, border in sadism. They may have got away with that if the plot had worked, but without trying to sound clever or boasting, I'd figured out the key plot twist IN THE TRAILER!!!! How? Because it was the only way the film could go.Once the big twist is revealed, the film just becomes silly. To have it discovered that they've been abducting and killing women, simply to see how long it takes for the victim to have sex with one of them (he's the guy in the next cell, in case you needed to know) is nonsense. Then there are the 2 cops who show up.... These cops are almost characters from The Simpsons. They ask some questions, THEN while supposed to be investigating a missing person, decide to watch basketball game, IN THE KILLERS HOUSE. I take it back. The cops in the Simpsons are smarter. And by the way, despite the fact that it's revealed in the movie that the killers have done this before, there is not one mention of earlier victims, or others who have gone missing. Surely someone somewhere would have noticed a connection.The performances are passable but the script lets them down. I'm not sure how much of Larry Cohen's original story is left, but I've seen some of his earlier work and he's a much better writer than this.But tragically, the worst thing is Roland Joffe. This man directed The Mission, one of the best movies ever made in my opinion, and The Killing Fields, one of the greatest British movies ever made. To go from those Oscar winning or nominated movies to this is depressing. In fact, if you took his name off this movie, you'd never guess he'd done it. It looks exactly like any other movie in the genre. He shows none of the brilliance that The Mission or Killing Fields had. I hope he gets a return to form soon.So far this year the horror genre has had disappointment after disappointment. 28 Weeks Later has been the only really good horror movie released this year. Vacancy had some good stuff in it and wasn't bad, as was Hills Have Eyes 2 but as for the rest? As a huge horror movie fan, I getting increasingly depressed by the number of poor movies in the genre coming out of Hollywood. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Surely someone in Hollywood can make an original horror movie that's both scary and doesn't need nasty, or brutal violence in them. It's not that I'm against movies with nasty stuff in them - I like the Saw trilogy after all - but the horror genre seems stuck in a rut. Sadly though, considering we've got sequels (Hostel 2) or remakes (Halloween) coming this year, it doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon.And that is a depressing thought. As is sitting through this rubbish.
Stunning visuals save a troubled script
posted on 26 May 2009What Captivity lacks in innovation it makes up for in style. Say what you will about plot holes and struggling performances, but the film looks beautiful, sounds great, and the atmosphere of the film will stay with you. Elisha Cuthbert's character is shallow, but appropriately so, as a naive fashion model who, even while in the deepest pit of misfortune, doesn't quite grasp what's going on. She keeps close to her teddy bear, apologizes for no apparent reason, and cries single tears... never ceasing to look picture perfect. (This is one gripe I have with the film. The leading lady should show a little more wear and tear, in my opinion.) I understand that the writer of Captivity claims to have based the character on Paris Hilton, and while I don't entirely believe that that's what the film was aiming for, it's an interesting comparison. In light of Hilton's recent incarceration, it's also a bit of commentary, however unintentional, on our culture's fascination with celebrities, the desire to be close to them, and to possess a piece of them.The looming, black gloved torturer is a smidge cliché, but it does the trick. It's a genre film, and certain symbols are to be expected and forgiven. Again, the set and sound design are spot-on, and that carries a lot of weaker areas through to the end.The editing is very choppy, due in part to the fact that a large portion of the original movie was removed and replaced with new material shot long after the original version ended production. The result is a cut-and-paste appearance which actually works quite well, given all the time Cuthbert's character spends going in and out of consciousness. It's almost an art film effect, hypnotic and disorienting.
Much better than anticipated......
posted on 24 May 2009After reading many of the negative reviews, I still wanted to give this movie a try. I was glad I did. I thought it was very suspenseful. There were a few gross scenes and I admit I had to close my eyes during one in particular. I thought Elisha was very good in this movie. I've been a fan of hers since the series "24". She is a good dramatic actress and very believable as the captured victim. I felt her pain and her desperation. I also liked Daniel Gillies performance. I have never seen him in anything and hope to see more of him. Loved the twist.... didn't see it coming. All in all I highly recommend this film if you like a good suspenseful thriller with a little gore thrown in for good measure!
A nice start but turns out to be pretty lame.
posted on 18 May 2009I'm usually very open-minded when it comes to movies but watching Captivity was a frustrating experience. I was expecting something like Saw and Hostel but near the end it turns into a dumb Teen Slasher, complete with a blond chick being chased around a house by the killer... so weak. A shame, the movie started pretty well, very dark mood and you get scared of the killer when you see what he's capable of but once his identity and motives have been reveled you can't help but scratch your head and laugh at what he's after, he really didn't have to go through all that trouble, not to mention risk, LOL! The so called controversial adds were probably nothing more than a cheap publicity stunt in order to lure in more gore fans, which will probably be the most disappointed people coming out of the theaters. There is some gore at the beginning but that's about it.Avoid at all cost
What on earth were they thinking?
posted on 18 May 2009Oh, Elisha, Elisha, Elisha...Those eyebrows, that hair, those lips, those legs, those chests... Indeed you are an angel, fallen from heaven itself, but I do wonder sometimes if you will ever manage to spin the cult stardom you obtained in "24" into anything remotely resembling a decent cinema career.You failed to get the parts of Lois Lane in "Superman Returns" (no great loss frankly as it was boring beyond belief), Mary Jane Watson in "Spider-Man" (I didn't like it, but a lot of people did) and it's sequels, and Sue Storm in "Fantastic Four" (which was fun and I liked it) and it's sequel."House Of Wax" was so-so and derivative. "The Girl Next Door" again was derivative, but you were sexy and perfectly cast. The bits in "Love Actually" and "Old School" were nothing but cameos. Everything else you've done is probably unlikely to darken any cinema in the UK anytime soon."Captivity" ain't gonna change a thing for you because it is, considering the talent involved, utter and complete rubbish.I admit it. I like a bit of torture porn now and again. (Am I a deviant for admitting that? Perhaps if I said I liked horror films now and again, would that be a little more palatable?) I liked the "Saw" films a lot. Full of ingenuity, imagination and dark humour. True, I thought "Hostel" was a bit empty and in essence not very good, but "Captivity" makes it look like a work of genius. (By the way I will be seeing "Hostel 2" at the weekend. I will not comment on a film if I have never seen it.) "Captivity" is a bad film. A bad "Saw" ripoff. As bad a film as you could hope (or not hope?) to see in a cinema this year. It is dull, unimaginative, slow and goes nowhere. It has a twist, but not a very interesting one. You can probably guess what it is and you will probably be right.Director Roland Joffé should know better. He directed "The Killing Fields", "The Mission" and "City Of Joy". Writer Larry Cohen knows his way around an exploitation story. Amongst many others he wrote "Best Seller", "Q", "Phone Booth" and "I, The Jury".What on earth were they thinking? Disappointing.
Pure, 100% torture flick
posted on 04 May 2009With the new millennium came a new sub-genre to take the mainstream horror world by storm. Torture-porn! "Hostel", "Saw", "Wolf Creek", "Live Feed", etc... Films made almost specifically to please gore hounds. "Captivity" does just that - very well, might I add! It simply displays the gruesome tormenting of a kidnapped model. The psychopath responsible remains apparently motiveless throughout, other than relishing in the various torture implements he inflicts on his victims. Plenty of nastiness here such as an assortment of facial appendages (eyeball, ear, sludgy skin fragments) going through a blender then down Elisha Cuthbert's throat, via funnel! Added to the gratuitous amounts of carnage is the shooting of a dog and fun with battery acid... What I liked about this movie was that it never tried to be anything more than it was - straight to the point, modern exploitation splatter flick... No need to build pointless character development here - the movie kicks off within the first ten minutes and stays rollin' throughout. Hell, I dug it much more than "Hostel" and those "Saw" sequels by far. If you love constant on-screen bloodshed than don't pass this one up.
So bad it was good.
posted on 30 Apr 2009Absolutely fantastic. Now, before a legion of cinema purists choke on their lattés, allow me to elaborate. Much as I enjoyed it, this is quite simply one of the worst films I have ever seen and is certainly the worst film I've seen at the cinema (an impressive claim, as I remember seeing Daredevil on the big screen). The two leads (Daniel Gillies and Elisha Cuthbert) were unconvincing at best and downright awful at worst. Of course, they weren't helped by a script that had as much emotional depth as a Daphne & Celeste single and characterisation that was about as convincing as the OJ defence. The plot (to stretch the term slightly) was thin to non-existent and the 'gore' scenes, whilst undoubtedly brutal, were irrelevant and laughably formulaic. What plot there is revolves around a twenty-something model (Cuthbert) who is abducted, imprisoned and subjected to various visceral tortures, both psychological and physical. The torture scenes feel like disconnected set pieces and the emphasis was laid squarely upon shocking rather than scaring the audience. Whilst there really are very, very few positives to draw from this film, its redeeming features are the very flaws that make it such a dreadful film. I have never heard a more vocal audience in a cinema. Within twenty minutes, the entire cinema was in stitches and remained that way throughout. For my part I came out flushed with laughter, buoyed by a film that had ascended to the pinnacle of appalling film-making. Whichever way you look at it, this is truly a cinematic achievement and a blueprint for future directorial wannabes detailing minutely how not to make a film.P.S. I omitted to mention that I managed to get in to the film free...so I can afford to laugh about it. I was still tempted to ask for my money back...it really was THAT bad.
horror movie
posted on 30 Apr 2009This movie made me feel like I was in the middle of a hospital room getting my hand cracked back into place with no anastesia. Sometimes you gotta pimp slap someone until it gets crooked and this movie certainly does that. Captivity has all the gore and guts you can want. Any person will certainly be freaked out being in Ms. Tree's place. I believe that this movie is a good horror movie. At the screening i remember thinking to myself how crazy the scenes were. There was something about her character that really freaked me out. i wonder what was going through the mind of everyone else? i know that my mind was definitely enjoying all the horror. This movie had plenty of gore and blood with guts. This Psycho thriller will have anyone scared stupid. What would you do if you got locked up with no keys?
Stupid beyond belief
posted on 26 Aug 2009The only reason I give it a 2 is that filmography is so stylized these days such that it has at least something to comment on.This film is asinine. It's like so many other 21st century grind house fodder. The gore is gratuitous and simply revolting. I didn't care about any of the characters, but I did care that some cretin bothered to pen this crap: I'd complain about the money I spent, but my date and I wisely left after 40 minutes and went to an adjoining theater to watch the adventurous and entertaining "Live Free or Die Hard," which probably got a much higher rating from me simply because I endured the utter poop of "Captivity" for 40 minutes.