The controversy may have piqued the curiosity of horror fans but the film is undeserving of any further attention, managing to be both nastily unpleasant and laughably ludicrous.
Captivity (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:71
Fresh:5
Rotten:66
Average Rating:2.7/10
Consensus: Lacking scares or psychological insight, Captivity is a distasteful entry in the 'torture porn' subgenre.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong violence, torture, pervasive terror, grisly images, language and some sexual material.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:Jul 13, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $2,626,800
Synopsis: 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... 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 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. --© After Dark Films [More]
Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Laz Alonso, Daniel Gillies
Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Laz Alonso, Daniel Gillies, Michael Harney, Mark Damon
Director: Roland Joffé
Director: Roland Joffé
Screenwriter: Larry Cohen, Joseph Tura
Producer: Mark Damon
Composer: Marco Beltrami
Studio: After Dark Films
Get This Movie
Reviews for Captivity
Captivity has the compulsory quality of a straight-to-DVD movie -- and considering the fast-fading torture-porn movement, that's no doubt the destiny of similar offerings to follow.
What made the esteemed director of The Killing Fields and The Mission stoop to this is anybody's guess.
Destined to be better remembered for its grisly billboard imagery than for its relatively tame torture-porn tropes.
The film itself is sordid, unpleasant viewing, as promised, yet more tedious than terrifying.
If critics offended by the rise of the horror-movie sub-genre they've derisively tagged 'torture porn' ever needed a prime suspect to haul before any moral court, the first 20 minutes of this brutal kidnapping thriller from Roland Joffe would work.
Only about twelve people you know are likely to ever see the film. Eleven will hate it. Avoid hanging out with the twelfth.
. . .sitting through it is a form of torture that far outstrips anything seen on the screen.
One has to worry about a world where there is a constant appetite for films like this one.
...so ineptly conceived and staged it could be the first torture-porn comedy
I never thought I'd say this, but this movie gives torture porn a bad name.
If this is Cuthbert's idea of being, as she claims, choosy about the horror offers she accepts, heaven help us from the ones she's turned down.
Larry Cohen, an experienced horror hand, wrote this, and Joffé does his best to keep the tension boiling up to a ridiculous climax. Even so, everybody involved should be ashamed of this nasty farrago.
Veteran writer Larry Cohen has shown a knack for claustrophobic thrillers (Phone Booth), but this tawdry effort is almost entirely lacking in stealth and suspense.
Latest News for Captivity
January 22, 2008:
I Know Who Killed Me, Norbit, Daddy Day Camp Lead Razzie Noms
No awards season -- even a strike-tainted one -- would be complete without the Razzies, right? Of course not. And that's why we've thoughtfully assembled all of this year's... More...
December 19, 2007:
MPAA Rejects Taxi to the Dark Side Poster
The poster submitted by ThinkFilm for Taxi to the Dark Side -- the Alex Gibney documentary opening January 11 -- has been rejected by the MPAA. More...
August 09, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Chan and Tucker Back in Action
Another wide assortment of summer offerings will hit the multiplexes across North America this weekend. The action-comedy sequel Rush Hour 3 leads the way as the main course and... More...
July 20, 2007:
Larry Cohen Plans Remakes of It's Alive, Black Caesar, and The Stuff
Long before he wrote movies like "Phone Booth," "Cellular," and (ugh) "Captivity," filmmaker Larry Cohen was making horror movies about killer babies. And (guess what?) he just... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 58% 58% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.

Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



