Captivity (2007)

7% of critics liked it
(74 reviews)
32% of users liked it
(326,654 ratings)

Vatel director Roland Joffé teams with screenwriters Larry Cohen and Joseph Tura to adapt an original story by Cohen concerning a fashion model (Elisha Cuthbert) and her chauffeur, who are kidnapped and held captive by a sadistic serial killer. Jennifer Tree (Cuthbert) is America's sweetheart; a top… More Vatel director Roland Joffé teams with screenwriters Larry Cohen and Joseph Tura to adapt an original story by Cohen concerning a fashion model (Elisha Cuthbert) and her chauffeur, who are kidnapped and held captive by a sadistic serial killer. Jennifer Tree (Cuthbert) is America's sweetheart; a top fashion model and ubiquitous cover girl who is adored by millions, Jennifer possesses all of the wealth and power that comes with being a natural, world-class beauty. Every girl wants to be Jennifer, and every man wants to have her -- one more than all others combined. That man has been lying in wait for precisely the right moment to strike, and when Jennifer makes the fateful mistake of stepping out on her own at a Soho charity event, he finally sees the opportunity to take possession of his most prized object. Drugged, taken, and placed in a cell, where she is forced to endure unspeakable mental and physical torture, Jennifer struggles against her twisted tormentor with every ounce of courage and fight that she has -- but will it be enough for her to endure should her captor continue to maintain the upper hand? A controversial film long before it ever went into wide release, Captivity caused quite a stir when graphic, unapproved ads for the film appeared on billboards and taxicabs in New York and Los Angeles. Though representatives from Captivity's releasing company After Dark Films claimed that the wrong materials were shipped to the printers and put up before they realized what had happened, public outcry was such that the MPAA saw fit to suspend the ratings process for the film. As a result, it quickly became apparent that Captivity would fail to procure an MPAA rating before its original target release date. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Roland Joffé
Written By: Larry Cohen, Joseph Tura
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Jul 13, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Oct 30, 2007
Studio: After Dark Films

Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
[Joffe] brings an artful video-grunge look, and not much else, to this Saw clone.
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
It's not scary because not one second is believable.
Tony Wong, Toronto Star
The real horror here is how anyone, especially a two-time Oscar nominated director, could be this hard up for work.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Rarely have I found myself so uncomfortable viewing anything over such an extended period of time. There's nothing redeemable here. It's not tense or scary; it's just demented.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Captivity the movie has been thoroughly eclipsed by Captivity the marketing.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
No acting, no pulse-pounding suspense, no humor or vicarious visceral thrills. There's a story, here, and not on the screen. It's about what happened to a once-fine filmmaker that brought him this low.
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
[Joffe] makes us almost willing to overlook the unspeakable sadism of the first half -- but no, it's asking too much.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Dreary, clichéd "torture porn." Yuck.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Without even calling into question the morals of a film which seems to exist only to depict the suffering of multiple women through hideous tortures, the film is still an empty mess, offering only a minor afterthought of an explanation to who is doing the
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
This rank-and-file entry in the new brutality (directed by an obviously disinterested Roland Joffé) is just a snooze.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Inexplicável, como o director de A Missão pode ser também o responsável por este filme vazio, estúpido e repleto de momentos acidentalmente hilários em função de sua imbecilidade.
Kim Newman, Jam! Movies
You can afford to avoid Captivity.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Even in the fetid swamp of the torture porn genre, it stands out as a particularly awful movie.
Scott Weinberg, FEARnet
Here we have little more than a grungy-looking TV movie of the week with some pointless gore tossed in.
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
Plunges the viewer almost directly into its nightmarish scenario.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
What could have at least been a halfway decent house-of-horrors scary movie digresses into a puddle of fake blood in this stale little thriller that peaks when its resident baddie mixes a batch of eyeballs in an electric blender.
Kurt Loder, MTV
The picture isn't scary, or even disgusting, really; it's oppressive -- dark and unpleasant in a depressingly unimaginative way.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
The worst, stupidest, and most pointless movie I've seen in a very long time.
Jim Hemphill, Reel.com
This isn't filmmaking it's shock treatment.
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Captivity is the kind of film that gives torture porn a bad name. It's disturbing in the most unpleasant ways possible outside of Abu Ghraib or battlefield snuff films.

Read all 21 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lee ?

A good but fairly routine bit of kidnap and torture horror. Nothing we haven't really seen before so there's no surprises here. Yeah there's the odd grisly moment and a somewhat guilty satisfaction seeing the arrogant, stuck-up model being made to squirm... all part of… More
A good but fairly routine bit of kidnap and torture horror. Nothing we haven't really seen before so there's no surprises here. Yeah there's the odd grisly moment and a somewhat guilty satisfaction seeing the arrogant, stuck-up model being made to squirm... all part of her moral lesson. Passabale stuff if you're in the mood, but not very memorable.
♥Robyn

Elisha Cuthbert stars as Jennifer Tree a super model who has her face plastered all over the billboards for all to see.well one night while at a nightclub her drink is spiked,she wakes in a basement cell where she is physically and psychologically tortured by a hooded captor
Dean M

An okay horror-thriller film, but it catches on to the 'torture porn'. There is some blood and some nasty gore but nothing like Hostel or even Touristas. It was nice to see Elisha Cuthbert doing something different, plays the lead, and… More
An okay horror-thriller film, but it catches on to the 'torture porn'. There is some blood and some nasty gore but nothing like Hostel or even Touristas. It was nice to see Elisha Cuthbert doing something different, plays the lead, and she looks phenomenal. She's an absolute treat for the healthy male viewer, this movie is a nice exploitation of this. Pruitt Taylor Vince was a good choice as the villain of the piece (well, one of them), but is terribly wasted after a short stint on screen. The acting is great, the plot actually shocks you and the director Roland Joffe is solid.
Lady D

Way over the top in a ?Saw-like? type of way, but enjoyable all the same. Expensive contraptions and a pretty predictable outcome, but one that?s much worthier a watch to a lot of teen slasher movies, this one is based on the torture theme.
Leigh R

Saw the storyline from a mile away but it was still good.
Dean !

Maybe not captivating but this film is far better than many critics and reviewers would have you believe! Especially those who rave on about Hostel and its great "twist"? Pretty sure there have been similar films, stories like that around for ages. As for the twist there… More
Maybe not captivating but this film is far better than many critics and reviewers would have you believe! Especially those who rave on about Hostel and its great "twist"? Pretty sure there have been similar films, stories like that around for ages. As for the twist there isn't one, as it is so obvious what was going to happen! Captivity is hardly original either, the whole idea of being kidnapped and waking up not knowing where you are and being tormented has been done in Saw, House of 9 and way back by Cube. You kinda guess this tries to jump on the bandwagon phrase of the year "torture porn" only with a tiny amount of torture compared to Hostel and no porn. It does have a slight twist, again too obvious if you have seen this type of film before, but it is still quite a good film, decent horror overall. Nothing groundbreaking but not a bad 85mins either. So if you like Hostel, Saw, House of 9 or Vacancy you should enjoy this to.
Emily A

You know how there are movies you can like right up until the ending? This movie is kind of the opposite: I actually did like it once I got past the first 20 minutes or so. It should be noted that there is no real script to speak of, and most of the pleasure comes from the kind of… More
You know how there are movies you can like right up until the ending? This movie is kind of the opposite: I actually did like it once I got past the first 20 minutes or so. It should be noted that there is no real script to speak of, and most of the pleasure comes from the kind of schadenfreude inherent in watching something beautiful get wrecked (Elisha Cuthbert), but the ending is a real high note. Not unlike Hostel. Really though, this movie could have been a short film, for all the plot and pacing it had.
Roy G

one of the daftest, dullest films I?ve seen in an absolute age.
E.J. B

A deep psychological study in murder and female suppression, showcasing an Oscar-worthy performance by Elisha Cuthbert. What starts as a 30 minute snuff film turns into a cat-and-mouse chase thriller that will have you guessing what happens next. And the twist ending comes out of… More
A deep psychological study in murder and female suppression, showcasing an Oscar-worthy performance by Elisha Cuthbert. What starts as a 30 minute snuff film turns into a cat-and-mouse chase thriller that will have you guessing what happens next. And the twist ending comes out of nowhere.
Lorenzo v

I liked the movie for what it is, a movie to pass the time on a rainy afternoon. Unfortunately, the story is not that great. And with an avalanche of similar themed movies recently, this one really needed to shine to stick its head out above the rest. Don't expect too much of… More
I liked the movie for what it is, a movie to pass the time on a rainy afternoon. Unfortunately, the story is not that great. And with an avalanche of similar themed movies recently, this one really needed to shine to stick its head out above the rest. Don't expect too much of it. One known actress doesn't make a good movie, so don't blame one person for the script etc. Still worth seeing if you're invited by someone else to see it. The end of the movie could have been with a bit more suspense I thought.
Luke B

SImilar to many other torture confinement films, mainly Saw and Hostel. Not that it's a bad thing it's just this film offers nothing new or even interesting. Scenes are picked from Misery/The Shining and the whole film just seems an incredibly poor attempt at horror. Not… More
SImilar to many other torture confinement films, mainly Saw and Hostel. Not that it's a bad thing it's just this film offers nothing new or even interesting. Scenes are picked from Misery/The Shining and the whole film just seems an incredibly poor attempt at horror. Not scary and having all the gore cut out, it's now just a hollow/shallow film with some nice cinematogrophy which becomes bland due to the confined spaces. Unfortunately it also became laughable when they tried to address issues of fame and class.
Nani V

This movie was pretty lame. Reminded me of I Know Who Killed Me. I guess you can say a little more intense?
Todd S

Saw meets Hostel in this entertaining, but painfully predictable film. Elisha Cuthbert is the difference between Captivity and the dozens of lame horror movies produced every year. Don't get me wrong, Captivity is full of gore and has a ridiculously stupid storyline, but… More
Saw meets Hostel in this entertaining, but painfully predictable film. Elisha Cuthbert is the difference between Captivity and the dozens of lame horror movies produced every year. Don't get me wrong, Captivity is full of gore and has a ridiculously stupid storyline, but it's not that bad, and Cuthbert is the reason. The veteran actress, best known as Kim Bauer and The Girl Next Door, is very methodical with every move she makes and that really manages to keep your attention. The maze of traps, moving walls, and pitfalls were also really cool, but outside of that and Cuthbert, Captivity is your typical gore fest, with zero character development, and a chilling story that really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I liked it for the little things, but overall, there's nothing special here, just another lame horror movie, that happened to land the right star.
Jacob P

Not a bad horror movie. Very interesting and exciting, with a very good story to it. It's not as bloody\graphic as Saw, Hostel, or Turistas...but It does have It's disturbing moments.
Benito r

hands down by far one of the worst movies i have ever seen. This movie had absolutley nothing. There was no real plot other than the fact that these two brothers liked to kidnap and kill. There was no motive and no reason to take her. Also there was no character development there… More
hands down by far one of the worst movies i have ever seen. This movie had absolutley nothing. There was no real plot other than the fact that these two brothers liked to kidnap and kill. There was no motive and no reason to take her. Also there was no character development there wasnt even any character explanation. A horror movie with no blood no scarey scenes and no real suspense it was all painfully predictable. I award this movie no points and may god have mercy on your soul.
Jeff B

In the absence of ANY alternative, this determinedly sadomasochistic reviewer and his faithful viewing companion were held captive for 90 hellacious minutes on Monday evening?for what reason, they will never know. If the intent was to make the audience fully understand the… More
In the absence of ANY alternative, this determinedly sadomasochistic reviewer and his faithful viewing companion were held captive for 90 hellacious minutes on Monday evening?for what reason, they will never know. If the intent was to make the audience fully understand the excruciating mental anguish of being tortured?mission accomplished. With this review of Captivity, a milestone has been reached. It single-handedly proves to be the worst film yet unveiled for this reviewer's consumption thus far. In this R-rated thriller, a fashion model (Cuthbert) and chauffeur (Daniel Gilles) awaken to find themselves chained to each other in a basement, the kidnapped victims of a serial killer with a predilection for torture. Unless it was his intention to make a laugh-out-loud thriller, Roland Joffe should be forced to give back his union card to the Director?s Guild of America. Not only has the acclaimed director of The Killing Fields churned out an awful knock-off, he has churned out an awful knock-off of awful movies. Though the dialogue and acting alone would make Captivity eligible for a Razzie Award, the movie boasted more continuity errors than a whole semester?s worth of student films. For example, while crawling away from her captor, Cuthbert?s character alternates skirts twice?in the same scene! Plus, the movie leaves no stone unturned-?if it may prove cringe-worthy (homoerotic brothers, body part health shakes), Captivity runs with it. If this garbage was ever screened as an in-flight movie, the passengers would probably stand up and walk out. Bottom line: The worms in Hostel?s sh*t could generate better thrills.
Joseph E

I was really intigued by this film and the trailer, and guess what? It didn't dissapoint. It was Horrific, but this time in a good way.
Yinalí R

Severely boring.
William G

Actually gives torture porn a bad name.
Nicky M

Predictable and pointless really.