‘Captive’ is a compelling, moving drama

I’ve been traveling so I am just now able to post my review of CAPTIVE as it appears in the October 2015 issue of St. Anthony Messenger.

But I want to add that this is an inspiring film. And it is gritty and does not hide the violence. It’s a truthful film about something that really happened and the power of a book to make a huge difference in the choices the characters make. Inspiring films can be compelling – they do not have to be Sunday school lessons. The filmmakers did this one right.

“In 2005, Ashley (Kate Mara) goes to her car in the wee hours of the morning looking for matches. She is a drug-addicted widow who has lost custody of her young daughter, Paige (Elle Graham). A man follows her back into her apartment and takes her hostage. Ashley soon finds out that the man is Brian Nichols (David Oyelowo), who, hours before, had murdered four people.

“Still keeping her hostage, Nichols unties her and makes her go with him to dump the truck he has stolen. When they return, she starts to read Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Nichols asks her to read it out loud to him. It is the beginning of the end.

“The film is based on the true story of Ashley Smith, whose calmness saved her life that day. Her actions also saved the lives of many others, including Nichols’. As conflict between police and citizens continues to escalate in our country, this is also a tale of police restraint, due to Ashley’s courage. It is a compelling story of grace under fire, told in an unadorned yet gripping way by director Jerry Jameson and writer Brian Bird.

“Oyelowo, Mara, and newcomer Graham are excellent.”

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