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Parents' Guide to

Captivity

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Dreary, cliched "torture porn." Yuck.

Movie R 2007 85 minutes
Captivity Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 5 parent reviews

age 18+

STUPID HOSTEL AND SAW CLONE, SKIP!!!!!

Easily one of the worst horror films made, just a stupid Hostel and Saw knock off. SKIP PLEASE!!!!

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
age 2+

It's not that bad.

I think that every one in the world should view this move at some point in your life. It's realistic about how people are tortured. Plus the acting s amazing and this is overall a great movie. Everyone should see it!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (1 ):

The plot takes the shape of one abuse after another, punctuated by inane dialogue. (The killer says by intercom: "Why do bad things happen to good people, you ask? That's the mystery"; Jennifer in a TV interview the killer plays on a taunting loop: "It's not just me. It's a scientific fact: Beauty rules. It always has, and it always will.") When Jennifer discovers a second captive, Gary (Daniel Gillies), she's heartened -- but viewers are troubled: His sudden appearance is ridiculously convenient, and his pretty-boy slickness is surely more corny than reassuring. The film tries to have it multiple ways, both condemning the killer's self-importance and disapproving of Jennifer's superficial performance -- as well as the system of high-fashion imagery that encourages him to desire and hate her at the same time. The fact that Captivity also flashes back to an atrocious scene showing the killer with his sexually abusive, drugged-out mother doesn't quite excuse him, but does -- predictably and quite painfully -- find a way to blame a woman for what's wrong with him.

Even before its release, CAPTIVITY was notorious. Shot in Moscow in 2005, it was touted as the first United States-Russian co-production. And its early ads -- which featured images of a young woman's abuse -- drew public outcry and were withdrawn by distributor After Dark Films. Sadly, the movie that has finally reached theaters hardly seems worth the uproar.

Movie Details

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