The Captive-2014

Director Atom Egoyan

Starring Ryan Reynolds

Scott’s Review #235

Reviewed April 18, 2015

Grade: C-

The Captive is a 2014 thriller that reminds me quite a bit of a 2013 thriller, Prisoners, which must have been an influence.

A similar plot involving a blue-collar, working-class family attempting to track down a missing child as the father takes matters into his own hands and is also considered a prime suspect in the crime by detectives is used.

Set in snowy upstate New York, the film follows Matthew (Ryan Reynolds) and Tina Lane (Mireille Enos), a struggling young couple whose nine-year-old daughter, Cassandra, is snatched from Matthew’s truck while he runs into a store to buy her a pie.

Told through flashbacks, the story picks up years later as the defeated couple is periodically taunted by Cassandra’s abductors, who leave clues suggesting she may still be alive.

Via video cameras, the abductors watch the parents’ emotional reactions to the clues and sell this “entertainment” to subscribers.

As the film moves along, we learn of a major crime syndicate involved in the kidnapping of Cassandra and other similarly aged girls.

At times, The Captive’s plot is compelling, with a few nice twists and surprises; other times, it moves slowly and drags.

The film sets the story in a cold, wintry season, emitting a tone of darkness, loss, and harshness. The cinematography is beautiful and deserves major recognition for the mood it creates.

The film’s major problem, though, is its extreme plot holes and ludicrous story; I still don’t understand the pivotal childhood ice-skating message at the end.

As the film progresses, the plot becomes hard to follow, and it raises many questions. Who is paying to watch parents emotionally tortured? How can Cassandra seemingly come and go as she pleases and remain a prisoner? Why, years later, is Matthew still a suspect?

These points feel too plot-driven for my taste and seem designed to move the plot along.

The main villain, Mika, is a weird guy, but what is his motivation? Why is he part of the kidnapping syndicate? What motivates anyone besides Matthew and Tina trying to get their daughter back?

This is not explained.

Some casting is problematic; I had difficulty buying Enos as a maid in a small town; she is way too glamorous a woman for that to be believable.

Similarly, casting Rosario Dawson and Scott Speedman as the central detectives seems unrealistic. The film is pure fantasy- these actors are too good-looking to be believable as upstate New York, small-town detectives.

While very handsome, Ryan Reynolds is the only actor I bought as a grizzled, broken father with a glimmer of hope that his daughter is still alive.

Despite some interesting turns, The Captive (2014) is too unrealistic and convoluted to follow closely, and it’s a bit of a mess.

For this type of film (kidnapping thriller?), I would recommend Prisoners (2013), though it has plot holes too.