The only pertinent question about the film wasn't even answered. I mean, what about the dog??? Was it really her dog? Was the second one an illusion? What's up with that? Other than that, the film was trash, the sort of trash that gets wet and smelly and you gotta take it out of the house asap cuz you can't stand the smell anymore. I need to detox my mind after this. My friend says she's seen worse, but Saw is better.

I recently decided to burn my way through all the remaining Larry Cohen films I never saw (Cellular was more fun than I was expecting), and finally landed on this one. And holy crap, it's directed by the director of The Killing Fields!? I should've checked this out years ago.Well, through the whole first hour, I kept saying to myself, there's no way Cohen wrote this. It's such a disaster, with ridiculous character motivations and plot points. But admittedly, some of his touch was there... Cutting to the characters of the cops investigating the case from our lead characters who are stuck in it feels a lot like his last couple films, Cellular and Phone Booth. And when you finally get to the plot twists for the third act - don't worry, I won't spoil them - it finally starts to feel genuinely clever and interesting. And like a Larry Cohen film.But you've got to be prepared to slog through the first hour. I guess this is meant to be a Saw-inspired film, where the trap-like room Elisha Cuthbert is stuck in is super high-tech and practically omnipotent. Everything is so contrived and utterly unconvincing; and the lead character (how she's written... not really Cuthbert's fault) is utterly unlikable and uninteresting. The whole first two acts are like an hour long slog you have to sit through to get to the end. And no, it won't make sense or pay off if you just skip to the last thirty minutes.But don't let me oversell the final act. It doesn't suddenly turn into Shakespeare; it's no must-see hidden gem. But that point's when it turns into a genuinely entertaining, engaging little film. You suddenly care about what happens to the characters, which is a surprising shift from what you've been experience so far. It's still pretty silly, but by comparison, it's great.If that doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement, it's not. I'd advise most people who find their way to this review to skip over this film and never look back. But for the curious, if you're a fan of one or more of the filmmakers involved like me, then there's enough here to not feel like you've wasted your time watching it. And that's more than I can say for a lot of movies.

This movie was available on Xfinity on-demand, which is an app on my HD kindle. It is a good example of the "Extreme Horror" genre which has developed over the past 10 years since the first "Saw" movie.As so many have mentioned, the plot is nothing new: a stunning model gets kidnapped, put in a dungeon and subject to unimaginable horrors. Yet the lighting, cinematography and editing combine to thrust "Captivity" a notch above the typical movie trying to cash in on the Extreme Horror bandwagon. The musical score also helps ratchet up the tension and stays out of the way as it should.Some of the scenes and shots are truly horrifying, which impressed me since I have a mini-hobby of seeking out well-done shocker movies and it takes a lot to get my heart racing. There's one truly gory scene and it's more psychological than physical, which was clever.Other reviewers have mentioned that the star Elisha Cuthbert looked too "good" during the torturous ordeal: all her hair in place and nicely done, good makeup and on and on. So? She was definitely cast as eye candy and pleasing on the eye to male audience members who sympathize and root for her. Would it have helped to gunk her up a little for a more gritty, grisly effect? No, this is not that kind of movie and the producers knew it.So is she just a screaming, naive blond? No. Through a clever series of twists and turns at the end she not only shows some smarts but some kick-ass qualities as well. The movie ends satisfyingly and all in all is worthwhile for any horror or thriller movie fan.

A film with a very small cast that has a very claustrophobic feel to much of the action. I have seen it described as just another 'torture porn' movie, but I felt it had a little more depth to it than that. The trouble is, it tries to be a little too clever and as a result I found it ended up being a little bit too predictable. The filmmakers also failed to allow the audience to connect with the victim and as a result they cannot really sympathise with her situation. It's a shame because I quite liked Elisha Cuthbert's performance. Over all though, a little too predictable and without enough guile to hold the audience.SteelMonster's verdict: NOT RECOMMENDEDMy score: 4.7/10You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.