Captive

A drama starring David Oyelowo as Brian Nichols, an escaped prisoner who takes a troubled young mother (Kate Mara) hostage in her own apartment. As the pressure mounts, faith and family drives both captor and hostage toward redemption. Based on true events, the film starts off with a tense prison break, establishing the genuinely sinister, conflicted character of Nichols. Mara by contrast is fragile but packs a lot of unspoken subtext into a quietly powerful performance, with her character's drug addiction arguably the most interesting aspect of the film. Both leads are let down, however, by a slow-moving plot, stilted dialogue and a religious message that feels quite forced, particularly when put in the context of the horrific crimes committed by Nichols. A mawkish credits sequence (complete with gospel soundtrack) emphasises the feeling that this is an interesting story that has been lost in heavy-handed preaching, taking two engaging performances with it.