Captivity

(2007) ***

Jennifer is a successful, arrogant fashion model who, via interview footage as the opening credits role, makes it clear that she can’t help it if she’s beautiful. Through various interview questions we learn that her greatest fear in life is being alone and she can’t stand the dark. Waking up one morning in her posh apartment she looks out towards her window and the beautiful view below, which includes much beach and numerous palm trees. But then the image flickers and Jennifer suddenly realizes that this isn’t her apartment at all and the window she was looking through was just a high definition movie. Jennifer has been kidnapped.



As she looks around the room she sees that her apartment is actually a dungeon-like cell outfitted with surveillance cameras and drawers that periodically open to provide her with various items including videotapes of herself in various places, which serve to show her that she has been stalked by this unnamed assailant for some time. From time to time her hooded kidnapper brings her into a scary operating room where she is forced to watch videos of previous victims. In the grossest scene I’ve seen in a long time she is forced to drink a blended brew of eyeballs, ears, and other body parts (For the record, you can put a gun to my head and I’ll allow myself to be shot before JPX ever takes a sip of that concoction).

After hearing some noises on the other side of her cell she meets Gary and learns that she is not the only prisoner in this twisted situation. The two repeatedly plot escape and on several occasions almost make it out. However their captor is way ahead of them and has apparently thought of everything, including placing traps in the ventilation system. How the hell are they getting out of this?



Captivity borrows heavily from SAW and Hostel with middling results. Despite the grotesque atmosphere there’s not as much blood and guts as you might expect. This is more of a cat and mouse game with the two captives trying to outwit their captive who knows all their moves given his numerous cameras and audio equipment. There’s one predictable twist that I called early on, which doesn’t make much of a difference. Although not very original, and obviously created to cash in on the now-cooling torture porn trend, Captivity is a serviceable little story with a satisfying conclusion.