Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- brooding
- eerie
- oppressive
- late night thriller viewing
- winter movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film atmospheric and well photographed but undermined by a lugubrious, convoluted script and implausible plotting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Police and abductors rely on video surveillance, hidden cameras, and online evidence to track the missing child case.
Matthew remains investigated as a suspect while enduring the disappearance of his daughter and the collapse of his marriage.
Eight years after Cass vanishes, her family and investigators remain trapped in the unresolved consequences of the abduction.
The Canadian setting, winter imagery, and secluded locations reinforce the family’s stasis and the case’s oppressive uncertainty.
Films like The Captive, and why
Prisoners
shared missing-child investigation, parental grief, procedural suspicion, and bleak thriller atmosphere
The Vanishing
shared abduction thriller structure, fractured family trauma, and morally troubling investigation
The Sweet Hereafter
shared canadian setting, child-centered crime investigation, surveillance motifs, and emotionally austere tone
Movie Details
- Director
- Atom Egoyan
- Release Date
- 2014-09-05
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (1197)
Cast
- Ryan Reynolds
- Mireille Enos
- Rosario Dawson
- Scott Speedman
- Kevin Durand
- Alexia Fast
- Christine Horne
- Bruce Greenwood
- Arsinée Khanjian
- Brendan Gall
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Captive about?
- A fractured Canadian abduction thriller follows a father and investigators through years of suspicion, surveillance, and unresolved family trauma.
- What is The Captive like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Captive as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Captive violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Captive as mild.
- What did critics think of The Captive?
- Critics broadly found the film atmospheric and well photographed but undermined by a lugubrious, convoluted script and implausible plotting.
- Which films are like The Captive?
- Films with a similar feel include Prisoners, The Vanishing, and The Sweet Hereafter.
- How long is The Captive?
- The Captive runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Captive?
- In United States, The Captive is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling.
