Captivity

Roadshow Entertainment

R4 DVD

Captivity is a provocative and controversial film. It certainly is a harsh and violent viewing experience. While some have written the film off as brutal and mean spirited, I believe that if you stick with it and watch it right through it can be a riveting cinema experience. Granted, there are scenes which will revolt and repulse, but when these are viewed in the context of the overall film I feel they are justified and are counterbalanced with the psychological edge of the film.

The first section of the film is deliberately disorienting. You watch the action from a number of different actions, from the would-be victims perspective, from a normal “viewers” angle and through the viewfinder of a portable camera. The film moves quickly from shot to shot, is strangely edited and has an unmelodic soundtrack which puts you on edge. You then see Jennifer, a fashion model, drugged and she awakens in a sealed room. You know she is in trouble.

Held captive in a cell, she is subjected to a series of terrifying, life-threatening tortures that could only be conceived by a very twisted, sadistic mind, indeed. These range from being force-fed body parts to seeing acid eat away another victims face, I warned you this is not for the faint of heart.

These scenes are very confronting and violent, but at the same time it is the psychological environment created by the movie which is most powerful. The portrayal of Jennifer held captive, the disturbed use of technology, the sexual manipulation – all are very well portrayed and certainly put the viewer on the edge. The acting is superb and convincing.

At around the 45 minute mark you begin to wonder where the film can go, is this simply a captivity film, is there more the gore and violence? However luckily, things then quickly move up a gear and get more interesting, a lot more interesting and everything is put into context.

Jennifer has been played off against Gary, who is a prisoner in the next cell. However, something seems amiss, just why is Gary being held captive ? As Gary and Jennifer are manipulated into an emotional and finally sexual bond, you begin to get a sense of what is occurring. At this stage you see a video of a kid who has been sexually abused by his mother killing her; this one motif tries to explain the motivation behind the killer. But exactly who is the killer ?

As Jennifer falls into a drugged sleep, Gary walks free from the room and you realize he is one of a team of two killers. It seems that Gary killed his mother as he brother watched and together they have been “gaining trophies” by kidnapped women, forcing them into Gary’s embrace and then killing them. You then see the whole video where Gary kills his mother and his brother watches on.

However, this time Gary wants Jennifer forever and no longer wants to play the “trophy game”, he kills his brother, but by now things have escalated too far and the killings multiply when the police arrive. Of course, things don’t go Gary’s way and Jennifer finds the scrapbooks which document his multiple conquests and the game is on.

This is a powerful film which attempts to get inside the mind of a killer, yes it has moments of brutality but I think that the complaints about gore in this film are overplayed. The psychological violence is what makes this film an edgy and harsh experience, its plot’s while perhaps a bit stretched, keeps your interest and the ending is suitably climatic.

Captivity may not have covered a lot of new territory, but it is still a successful psychological horror film with some unexpected twists and turns which make it worth a watch. The fact that some people find it uncomfortable means the director must be doing something right !!