Captive (2015) - Rotten Tomatoes

critics consensus

Captive undermines committed performances from Kate Mara and David Oyelowo -- and the real-life story they're dramatizing -- with a thin script doubling as an ad for a self-help book. Read critic reviews

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Captive Videos

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Captive Photos

Kate Mara as Ashley Smith and David Oyelowo as Brian Nichols in "Captive."

(L-R) Kate Mara as Ashley Smith and Leonor Varela as Sergeant Carmen Sandoval in "Captive."

David Oyelowo as Brian Nichols in "Captive."

David Oyelowo as Brian Nichols and Kate Mara as Ashley Smith in "Captive."

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Movie Info

Brian Nichols (David Oyelowo) becomes the subject of a citywide manhunt after breaking out of a courthouse jail and killing four people. His frantic escape brings him to the apartment of Ashley Smith (Kate Mara), a single mother and recovering methamphetamine addict. Held hostage by Nichols in her own home, the scared woman looks for guidance from "The Purpose Driven Life," Rick Warren's best-selling, inspirational book. As she reads aloud, Ashley and her would-be killer come to a crossroad.

Rating:

PG-13 (Substance Abuse|Mature Thematic Elements|Violence)
Genre:

crime, drama, mystery and thriller
Original Language:

English
Director:

Jerry Jameson
Producer:

Terry Botwick, Jerry Jameson, Lucas Akoskin, Alex Garcia, Katrina Wolfe, David Oyelowo, Ken Wales
Writer:

Brian Bird
Release Date (Theaters):

Sep 18, 2015 wide
Release Date (Streaming):

Jun 20, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA):

$2.6M
Runtime:

1h 37m
Production Co:

Yoruba Saxon, BN Films, 1019 Entertainment, Brightside Entertainment, Itaca Films
Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio:

Flat (1.85:1)

Cast & Crew

David Oyelowo
Brian Nichols

Kate Mara
Ashley Smith

Michael K. Williams
Detective John Chestnut

Leonor Varela
Detective Sanchez

Mimi Rogers
Kim Rogers

Jessica Oyelowo
Meredith MacKenzie

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Critic Reviews for Captive

All Critics (52) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (38)

Captive is TV veteran Jerry Jameson's first theatrical feature since Airport '77. That's by far the most interesting thing about it.

March 2, 2016 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Tara Brady
Irish Times
Committed performances from the two leads provide ballast, although the inevitable Oprah coda feels a little too much like a sales pitch.

September 27, 2015 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
There is a moral somewhere in Captive but it is hard to work out what it is.

September 25, 2015 | Full Review…

Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
Profoundly idiotic.

September 24, 2015 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…

Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
The film's whole agenda is the problem.

September 24, 2015 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…

Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
The actors are committed - Mara, generally waif-like, appears frail indeed - but there's barely anything worth committing to.

September 24, 2015 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Mike McCahill
Guardian
CAPTIVE won't dazzle you in the way the masters of mystery will, but the uncannily consistent work from Oyelowo and its positive outlook will indeed keep you captivated.

December 14, 2018 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

James Clay
Fresh Fiction
An odd, and not in a good way, preachy piece.

August 23, 2018 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Alison Rowat
The Herald (Scotland)
The film is underwhelming but does carry strong performances.

August 14, 2018 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Mae Abdulbaki
Punch Drunk Critics
A thriller of sorts that starts reasonably well before drifting to an aimless halt.

November 14, 2016 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Paul Whitington
Irish Independent
The film's reluctance to overinvest in its religious significance will certainly not satisfy the spiritual nor will it come as a welcome relief to the skeptical, placing the overall audience in a state of limbo.

May 12, 2016 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Dee O'Donoghue
Film Ireland Magazine
So inept a film, so bland and monotonous, that it fails even to serve as the blatant ad for the certain Christian motivational book it would appear to be.

January 5, 2016 | Full Review…

MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

View All Critic Reviews (52)

Audience Reviews for Captive

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Captive Quotes

Ashley Smith:

The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.

Ashley Smith:	I need to see my daughter.
Brian Nichols:	You are not goin' anywhere.

Ashley Smith:	I need to see my daughter.
Brian Nichols:	You are not going anywhere.

Ashley Smith:

I've lost everything. My husbands dead. The state said I'm an unfit mother and took away my kid.

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