Captivity (film)
Encyclopedia
Captivity is a 2007 thriller film directed by Roland Joffé
, based on a screenplay by Larry Cohen and Joseph Tura, and starring Elisha Cuthbert
. The film centers on two people who have been abducted and driven mad.
Jennifer Tree (Elisha Cuthbert), a young fashion model and cover girl, had captured the attention of photographers and for better or worse, the public at large. On an evening out alone, Jennifer is stalked and drugged. She wakes in a stupor to find herself captive and confined to a cell.
A series of metal bins and numbered lockers abruptly swing open in front of her. They contain personal items taken from her apartment. She is forced to view videotapes containing images of the victims that were tortured previous to her captivity as well as videotaped interviews she had given to the media in the past. Trapped, realizing there is no way out, Jennifer pleads and screams to anyone that might hear her. During her confinement, she is subjected to various forms of psychological and sensory torture. She is forced to drink a blended mixture of an eye, ear and nose of a previous victim. Then, she is made to decide who dies within 30 seconds: herself or her dog, Suzy. She decides to kill her dog.
Jennifer eventually finds she is not alone. A young man, Gary (Daniel Gillies), is being held captive in an adjoining cell. The two make contact and try to find out why they are being held.
After watching the horrific scene, they find their way out. A fight ensues between Gary and the captor. Ultimately, Jennifer is drugged once again and wakes up confined to a "torture chair" with Gary. Ready to pull out Jennifer's tooth, Gary insists the captor take his out instead.
After a moment of consensual sex, Gary awakens to find Jennifer, who has been drugged once again. He takes out a key to an adjoining cell.
A tape is shown where a woman lying on her bed with cigarettes and pills scattered everywhere is apologizing to her son for "touching" him. The boy then repeatedly stabs his mother, killing her. He then snaps a picture of his dead mother. In a little corner glancing at the photo, a smirk appears on his face.
Meanwhile, Gary's key opens a door into a house, revealing that Gary and his older brother Ben are actually the captors. Gary joins Ben in the kitchen where they make sushi.
Gary tells Ben that he is falling in love with Jennifer. Ben strikes Gary and says "play them, don't play with them." Ben then puts something in the fridge. When he turns around Gary stabs him. Gary then watches the same tape of the woman lying on the bed that was shown earlier. The boy stabbing his mother is revealed to have been Gary looking at a smirking Ben.
After the tape, Gary is seen reviewing a series of pictures in an album, and then there is a knock at the door. At the sound of knocks, he quickly rushes and puts the albums in a cabinet. He slams the cabinet's door, but it does not fully close. The knock at the door are two detectives looking for Ben. Gary tells them that his brother is not at the house. The detectives enter the house, getting comfortable and asking to watch a big sports game on TV. One of them flips the channel to the surveillance video of Jennifer sleeping. Seeing this, Gary shoots them both.
He runs down to where Jennifer is being held and tells her that he has killed "them" and that it is time to go. He places Jennifer in a room and tells her not to go. One of the detectives, not dead after all, jumps out at her but she kills him with a bat, believing him to be one of her captors. Jennifer then discovers the ajar cabinet and begins viewing the albums. Gary is in all of them. While looking through albums, Ben, also not yet dead, jumps out at her. However, Jennifer finishes him off by stabbing the knife more deeply into him.
After viewing the albums, Jennifer hears the detective's pager ring and she goes through his personal belongings. Gary is seen recording Jennifer and claims she belongs to him and will help him clean the mess up. She tricks him and sprays ammonia in his eyes before running off.
On her way she cuts a series of wires and electrical cords, preventing doors, code entries, and lights from working. Jennifer picks up a flashlight and the gun used on the detectives. She does not know how to use a gun, and fails to 'cock' it. Gary then throws her on a bed and points the gun at her face, explaining why the gun had not fired, while firing a round into the ceiling to demonstrate and terrify her. She kicks him in the groin and retrieves the gun from him. This time she cocks the gun. Instead of then shooting him in the head she shoots him in the groin, and says "thanks" to him. She then shoots him in the heart and exits the room. She leaves the house, and the last scene shows posters of Jennifer's new film, DARE.
in Los Angeles and New York where they were shown on billboards and taxicabs. The advertisement consisted of pictures involving the kidnapping, torture, and presumable murder of a female character. Offended witnesses soon filed complaints to After Dark, who claimed error and explained that the concept was only one of several working ideas that were being considered for marketing to the general public. According to executive producer Courtney Solomon
, who spoke on behalf of After Dark, it was not supposed to have been approved; he followed by saying "To be honest with you, I don't know where the confusion happened and who's responsible."
"This film was done in association with After Dark Films. The nature of the association allows After Dark autonomy over their marketing materials, and therefore we neither saw nor approved this billboard before it was posted," said Peter Wilkes, head of Lionsgate investor relations. "Once aware of the materials and the reaction to them, we immediately asked After Dark to remove the billboards, to which they immediately and cooperatively responded."
Joss Whedon
has become the public face of a movement directed at the MPAA to remove the film's rating, in accordance with MPAA guidelines that state that any film that uses advertising that has not been approved by the MPAA (in this case, the advertising was specifically disapproved) will possibly forfeit their right to be rated. According to writer Jill Soloway
, who runs the website Remove the Rating, Solomon himself was responsible for the ads in question, going over the design in extreme detail, and is thus being disingenuous in the above-cited quote. The MPAA issued a ruling dated March 28, 2007, which said that, as punishment, it would not consider rating the film until at least April 30, making the release date of May 18 less likely (releasing the film "unrated" would greatly impact its potential to sell tickets). The MPAA is also, in an unprecedented move, requiring that they approve the placement of all forthcoming advertisements for the film.
founder and present head Courtney Solomon
went back to edit the original concept of Captivity to add more gore
and violence
to please the American
audience. In a statement, Solomon is believed to state that he felt the film was not gruesome enough for a mainstream "torture porn". Although he felt the change would bring in more money for the film after noticing the success of Hostel, the film tanked at the box office
. Solomon later released a statement saying "It's overkill, I think audiences have said, 'I've had enough.' It's as simple as that."
The original version of Captivity was only released in Spain
, Argentina
and the United Kingdom
.
gave it a zero star rating, stating that there is "nothing redeemable here. It's not tense or scary; it's just demented". Bloody-Disgusting.com named the film as the "worst horror film of 2007". Also, many reviewers have noted similarities to films like Saw
and Hostel. The movie currently holds a 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
.
Elisha Cuthbert's performance received mixed reviews, resulted in her gaining nominations for both a Teen Choice Award and a Razzie Award for Worst Actress. It also earned Razzie nominations for Worst Director and Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie.
was released on October 30, 2007 with a widescreen unrated version, and the original R-rated version. It includes a making-of featurette and an on-the-set look of the film. The cover has the 8 Films to Die For
logo on it, despite the film not being present for the limited release film festival.
There is also a special two-disc edition available. This version has a metal keep case
and real fine sand and dirt on the front cover beneath a plastic layer which depict Cuthbert in relief print
beneath it, just as in a scene of the film.
's Halloween
theme.
Roland Joffé
Roland Joffé is an English-French film director who is known for his Oscar nominated movies, The Killing Fields and The Mission. He began his career in television. His early television credits included episodes of Coronation Street and an adaptation of The Stars Look Down for Granada...
, based on a screenplay by Larry Cohen and Joseph Tura, and starring Elisha Cuthbert
Elisha Cuthbert
Elisha Ann Cuthbert is a Canadian film and television actress. Cuthbert is known as the former co-host of the Canadian children's television series Popular Mechanics for Kids. In 1998, she had her first film role in Airspeed. She followed this in 2003 with a role in Old School...
. The film centers on two people who have been abducted and driven mad.
Plot
The film opens with the torture of a young man (whose face is covered) - 2 tubes are inserted into his nose, and (via a foot pump) truck battery acid is pumped in through one pipe - causing blood to pour out through the other. The man's captor then kills him with a large hammer.Jennifer Tree (Elisha Cuthbert), a young fashion model and cover girl, had captured the attention of photographers and for better or worse, the public at large. On an evening out alone, Jennifer is stalked and drugged. She wakes in a stupor to find herself captive and confined to a cell.
A series of metal bins and numbered lockers abruptly swing open in front of her. They contain personal items taken from her apartment. She is forced to view videotapes containing images of the victims that were tortured previous to her captivity as well as videotaped interviews she had given to the media in the past. Trapped, realizing there is no way out, Jennifer pleads and screams to anyone that might hear her. During her confinement, she is subjected to various forms of psychological and sensory torture. She is forced to drink a blended mixture of an eye, ear and nose of a previous victim. Then, she is made to decide who dies within 30 seconds: herself or her dog, Suzy. She decides to kill her dog.
Jennifer eventually finds she is not alone. A young man, Gary (Daniel Gillies), is being held captive in an adjoining cell. The two make contact and try to find out why they are being held.
After watching the horrific scene, they find their way out. A fight ensues between Gary and the captor. Ultimately, Jennifer is drugged once again and wakes up confined to a "torture chair" with Gary. Ready to pull out Jennifer's tooth, Gary insists the captor take his out instead.
After a moment of consensual sex, Gary awakens to find Jennifer, who has been drugged once again. He takes out a key to an adjoining cell.
A tape is shown where a woman lying on her bed with cigarettes and pills scattered everywhere is apologizing to her son for "touching" him. The boy then repeatedly stabs his mother, killing her. He then snaps a picture of his dead mother. In a little corner glancing at the photo, a smirk appears on his face.
Meanwhile, Gary's key opens a door into a house, revealing that Gary and his older brother Ben are actually the captors. Gary joins Ben in the kitchen where they make sushi.
Gary tells Ben that he is falling in love with Jennifer. Ben strikes Gary and says "play them, don't play with them." Ben then puts something in the fridge. When he turns around Gary stabs him. Gary then watches the same tape of the woman lying on the bed that was shown earlier. The boy stabbing his mother is revealed to have been Gary looking at a smirking Ben.
After the tape, Gary is seen reviewing a series of pictures in an album, and then there is a knock at the door. At the sound of knocks, he quickly rushes and puts the albums in a cabinet. He slams the cabinet's door, but it does not fully close. The knock at the door are two detectives looking for Ben. Gary tells them that his brother is not at the house. The detectives enter the house, getting comfortable and asking to watch a big sports game on TV. One of them flips the channel to the surveillance video of Jennifer sleeping. Seeing this, Gary shoots them both.
He runs down to where Jennifer is being held and tells her that he has killed "them" and that it is time to go. He places Jennifer in a room and tells her not to go. One of the detectives, not dead after all, jumps out at her but she kills him with a bat, believing him to be one of her captors. Jennifer then discovers the ajar cabinet and begins viewing the albums. Gary is in all of them. While looking through albums, Ben, also not yet dead, jumps out at her. However, Jennifer finishes him off by stabbing the knife more deeply into him.
After viewing the albums, Jennifer hears the detective's pager ring and she goes through his personal belongings. Gary is seen recording Jennifer and claims she belongs to him and will help him clean the mess up. She tricks him and sprays ammonia in his eyes before running off.
On her way she cuts a series of wires and electrical cords, preventing doors, code entries, and lights from working. Jennifer picks up a flashlight and the gun used on the detectives. She does not know how to use a gun, and fails to 'cock' it. Gary then throws her on a bed and points the gun at her face, explaining why the gun had not fired, while firing a round into the ceiling to demonstrate and terrify her. She kicks him in the groin and retrieves the gun from him. This time she cocks the gun. Instead of then shooting him in the head she shoots him in the groin, and says "thanks" to him. She then shoots him in the heart and exits the room. She leaves the house, and the last scene shows posters of Jennifer's new film, DARE.
Cast
- Elisha CuthbertElisha CuthbertElisha Ann Cuthbert is a Canadian film and television actress. Cuthbert is known as the former co-host of the Canadian children's television series Popular Mechanics for Kids. In 1998, she had her first film role in Airspeed. She followed this in 2003 with a role in Old School...
as Jennifer Tree - Daniel GilliesDaniel Gillies-Early life:Gillies was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to a pediatrician father. He was raised in New Zealand and went to Southwell School and the Hamilton Boys' High School.-Acting career:...
as Gary Dexter - Remy ThorneRemy ThorneRemington Hunter "Remy" Thorne is an American actor.-Personal life:Thorne was born in Miami, Florida, and now resides in California. He has three sisters: Bella , Dani , and Kaili .-Career:...
as Young Gary Dexter (uncredited) - Pruitt Taylor VincePruitt Taylor VincePruitt Taylor Vince is an American award-winning character actor who has made many appearances in film and television.-Personal life:Vince was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
as Ben Dexter - Michael Harney as Detective Bettigey
- Laz AlonsoLaz AlonsoLazaro "Laz" Alonso is an American film and television actor. He is best known for playing Tsu'tey in James Cameron's science fiction film Avatar. He is also well known for his role as Fenix "Rise" Calderon in the film Fast & Furious. Alonso has had roles in other films such as Jarhead, This...
as Detective Di Santos - Maggie Damon as Detective Susan Ludlen
Advertising controversy
Several controversial images depicting promotional scenes from the film were released by After Dark FilmsAfter Dark Films
After Dark Films is a horror film production company and distributor founded by Courtney Solomon.-History:The company is the organizer for the annual independent horror film festival After Dark Horrorfest, also known as 8 Films to Die For, which is currently in its fourth year...
in Los Angeles and New York where they were shown on billboards and taxicabs. The advertisement consisted of pictures involving the kidnapping, torture, and presumable murder of a female character. Offended witnesses soon filed complaints to After Dark, who claimed error and explained that the concept was only one of several working ideas that were being considered for marketing to the general public. According to executive producer Courtney Solomon
Courtney Solomon
Courtney Solomon is a Canadian film producer.Solomon produced and directed the 2000 film Dungeons & Dragons. His latest film, An American Haunting, is based on the Bell Witch legend in Tennessee....
, who spoke on behalf of After Dark, it was not supposed to have been approved; he followed by saying "To be honest with you, I don't know where the confusion happened and who's responsible."
"This film was done in association with After Dark Films. The nature of the association allows After Dark autonomy over their marketing materials, and therefore we neither saw nor approved this billboard before it was posted," said Peter Wilkes, head of Lionsgate investor relations. "Once aware of the materials and the reaction to them, we immediately asked After Dark to remove the billboards, to which they immediately and cooperatively responded."
Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
has become the public face of a movement directed at the MPAA to remove the film's rating, in accordance with MPAA guidelines that state that any film that uses advertising that has not been approved by the MPAA (in this case, the advertising was specifically disapproved) will possibly forfeit their right to be rated. According to writer Jill Soloway
Jill Soloway
Jill Soloway is an American comedian, playwright, a feminist and an Emmy-nominated television writer.Soloway was an executive producer and show-runner of the Showtime show The United States of Tara created by writer Diablo Cody. Soloway exited the show in November 2009...
, who runs the website Remove the Rating, Solomon himself was responsible for the ads in question, going over the design in extreme detail, and is thus being disingenuous in the above-cited quote. The MPAA issued a ruling dated March 28, 2007, which said that, as punishment, it would not consider rating the film until at least April 30, making the release date of May 18 less likely (releasing the film "unrated" would greatly impact its potential to sell tickets). The MPAA is also, in an unprecedented move, requiring that they approve the placement of all forthcoming advertisements for the film.
Dramatic editing
After Dark FilmsAfter Dark Films
After Dark Films is a horror film production company and distributor founded by Courtney Solomon.-History:The company is the organizer for the annual independent horror film festival After Dark Horrorfest, also known as 8 Films to Die For, which is currently in its fourth year...
founder and present head Courtney Solomon
Courtney Solomon
Courtney Solomon is a Canadian film producer.Solomon produced and directed the 2000 film Dungeons & Dragons. His latest film, An American Haunting, is based on the Bell Witch legend in Tennessee....
went back to edit the original concept of Captivity to add more gore
Graphic violence
Graphic violence is the depiction of especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence in visual media such as literature, film, television, and video games...
and violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
to please the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
audience. In a statement, Solomon is believed to state that he felt the film was not gruesome enough for a mainstream "torture porn". Although he felt the change would bring in more money for the film after noticing the success of Hostel, the film tanked at the box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
. Solomon later released a statement saying "It's overkill, I think audiences have said, 'I've had enough.' It's as simple as that."
The original version of Captivity was only released in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Alternative ending
In an alternative ending, present on the DVD, one year later, a man is captured and tortured, before being killed with a hammer (this is the event we see at the beginning of the movie). The man is revealed (through press clippings) to be a three-time murderer of women; his assailant is revealed to be Jennifer.Critical reception
Captivity opened on Friday, July 13, 2007 to negative reviews. Online critic James BerardinelliJames Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
gave it a zero star rating, stating that there is "nothing redeemable here. It's not tense or scary; it's just demented". Bloody-Disgusting.com named the film as the "worst horror film of 2007". Also, many reviewers have noted similarities to films like Saw
Saw (film series)
Saw is a horror franchise distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment and produced by Twisted Pictures that consists of seven films and two video games, published by Konami. The franchise began with the 2003 short film which was created by Australian director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell...
and Hostel. The movie currently holds a 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Elisha Cuthbert's performance received mixed reviews, resulted in her gaining nominations for both a Teen Choice Award and a Razzie Award for Worst Actress. It also earned Razzie nominations for Worst Director and Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie.
Box office
The film grossed $1,429,100 in its opening weekend, making it #12. By the end of its run, the film had grossed $2,626,800 domestically and $8,294,400 internationally, adding up to $10,921,200 worldwide.DVD
The DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
was released on October 30, 2007 with a widescreen unrated version, and the original R-rated version. It includes a making-of featurette and an on-the-set look of the film. The cover has the 8 Films to Die For
8 Films to Die For
After Dark Horrorfest is an annual horror film festival featuring eight independent horror movies, sometimes with "secret" bonus films, all distributed by After Dark Films in the USA...
logo on it, despite the film not being present for the limited release film festival.
There is also a special two-disc edition available. This version has a metal keep case
Keep case
A keep case or poly-box is a type of DVD packaging. From the well-known brand Amaray, this type of case is often called Amaray case, creating a genericized trademark and ambiguities about the real manufacturer of the case....
and real fine sand and dirt on the front cover beneath a plastic layer which depict Cuthbert in relief print
Relief print
A relief print is an image created by a printmaking process where protruding surface faces of the matrix are inked; recessed areas are ink free. Printing the image is therefore a relatively simple matter of inking the face of the matrix and bringing it in firm contact with the paper...
beneath it, just as in a scene of the film.
Music
Captivitys main theme music is an homage to John CarpenterJohn Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
's Halloween
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
theme.