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Captivity

2/10

Stars: Elisha Cuthbert, Daniel Gillies

Director: Roland Joffe

The first reel of this horror thriller is as seriously unpleasant as you'll find anywhere. A top model (Cuthbert) is kidnapped, terrorised, force-fed blood and minced body parts, then made to watch film of acid destroying a girl's face.

Anyone still left in the cinema will find that the action thereafter takes on a serial-like quality, as Cuthbert and fellow-captive Gillies make various frenzied attempts to escape, while their hooded torturer follows their every move.

Back in their 'cell', they proceed to have sex! Yes, they do. There is, of a course, a twist here that genre fans will spot a mile off, and dead corpses tend not to lie down in a film as sick as it's silly. What is Roland Joffe, who once made such meaningful films as The Killing Fields and The Mission, doing directing this twisted nonsense? At least he does it with efficiency.

David Quinlan

USA 2007. UK Distributor: Optimum. Colour by de Luxe.
85 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 18.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 3, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 18 Jun 2007