Review of The Captive (2014) by Martin O — 05 Jul 2015

Genre defying and engrossing as it is irritating, The captive is an intriguing thriller where the sum of its parts equals more than its worth.

Ambiguous to whether it is a kidnapping story or a dramatic exploration of the human mind and its inert oddity, or even both, director Atom Egoyan's challenging entrant from the 2014 Cannes film festival is the kind of movie viewers and critics alike are unsure what to make of.

Nipping into a roadside diner for an after skating practice treat, Matthew Lane (Ryan Reynolds) returns to his car to find the backseat, where his 9 year old daughter Cass (Peyton Kennedy) was playing, empty.

Vanished into thin air, the empathetic search for Cass - the simply gone child - loses intensity after eight years. But neither Matthew, his wife Tina (Mireille Enos) or Detective Nicole Dunlop (Rosario Dawson) are willing to give up, nor has cynical detective Jeff Cornwall (Scott Speedman) but for his own reasons.

When a strange clue surfaces indicating that the now 17 year old Cass (Alexia Fast) is still alive, a whole new kind of search begins.

Reynolds is obviously in the trawls of making a perception change, this won't.

Help but it should eventually stick. Dawson carries the projects acting punch along with Kevin Durand as the creepy Mika, in the film's most bizarre and strikingly unique characterization.

The Verdict: Overall watchable if somewhat obtuse. Worth seeing for the experience if nothing else.