The Captive Starring Joseph Morgan is Released on DVD

Starring:  Joseph Morgan, Matt Ryan 

Written by: Luke Massey, Benjamin Read

Directors:  Luke Massey

Classification: 15

Studio: 101 Films

DVD Release Date: 25th August 2014

Run Time: 82 minutes

What is the plot?  

Royal Marine A.J Budd (Joseph Morgan) awakes in a mysterious house and is forced to fight for his life everyday against grotesque inhuman opponents. Trapped alone in an unchanging prison of unbreakable routines, he must kill every day or die himself. As days stretch into years, the isolation and unceasing violence threaten his very soul.

The Captive is a gripping, brutal, psychological film with a supernatural edge that charts one man’s fight to preserve his humanity and sanity over years of terrible imprisonment.

Review

Wow, simply wow.  I was not expecting to be taken in and intrigued by a storyline quite as much as I did by this one.  This slow-moving film THE CAPTIVE, distributed by 101 Films, brings to life all of the things humans fear the most: solitude, loneliness, despair, desperation –  and of course surviving imminent death.

Young Royal Marine  A.J. Budd (Joseph Morgan) wakes one morning on a bed lying facedown and has no recollection of how he got there, where he is or why he is at the house.  

Delicately placed next to him is his uniform alongside a sharp, deadly blade.  Not knowing what else to do, the soldier reluctantly gets dressed and makes a slow descent downstairs and towards the front door.  With an outstretched hand for the door handle, his concentration is momentarily blinkered by the sight of a sandwich and hot drink placed carefully at the kitchen table.  All thoughts of leaving temporarily halter as the Marine is distracted by the objects on the table.  

Unbeknown to him, the choice he makes leads to strange and devastating consequences as a he is attacked by a gore-dripping, slow-moving, gnarling creature who is clearly not after him for his sandwich.  Forced to defend himself, he kills the beast and much to his dismay and efforts, he cannot escape the house and has become captive inside.  

And so the daily groundhog-style drama begins.  Each morning Budd wakes up hoping that the door will be open and as always, a sandwich is left on the breakfast table waiting to be eaten, but of course, that is not all that is left there waiting…  

The house never changes, it is eternal and each day he wakes to find it the same way as it was the day before, as though it has reset itself – the worst groundhog day a person could imagine. 

As the days then years pass, the only solace for the weary and confused soldier comes in the form of the journals left by a former prisoner of the house, World War I officer Lieutenant Edward Sterling (Matt Ryan). Discovered behind a secret wall, Sterling’s diaries serve as a mentor to the young marine and help to keep him alive, but they also foretell the dark times and miseries which lie ahead.   The stories of these two men from different times interweave as their desperation to escape the house and the endless killing heartbreakingly takes them to drastic measures.   

The biggest success of this film is not only it’s simplistic setting, largely in one place, but mostly due to clever casting.  Joseph Morgan (from VAMPIRE DIARIES and IMMORTALS fame) is the lead character and his performance is captivating, mesmerising and attentive, despite being alone in most scenes of the movie.  The character is locked inside the house and locked inside his own mind and he delivers a convincing, heart wrenching performance that draws deep empathy for the character.  

Whenever the bell rings, it’s a case of fight or die… and with lines such as ‘In their deaths, I mark my days…’ so poignantly delivered, which is hard to do when the majority of the scenes are shot without the energy or emotion of another character to bounce off, it is impossible not to feel raw compassion for the characters. 

The movie is a great success story for director, Luke Massey with this as his first feature film, known in the US as ‘ARMISTICE.’

What’s great about the movie?

It dissects the human brain beautifully and it is an inspired indie effort.  A carefully and cleverly constructed script by Luke Massey and Benjamin Read.  

What’s wrong with it? 

If you are someone who prefers an action-packed, fast moving film, then you may find this psychological film a bit too slow.    

Verdict

★★★★★

A cracking indie film which holds your attention and beautifully explores a human’s battle with perseverance, determination and never wanting to quit. 

The Captive is available to buy on Blu-Ray, DVD and VOD from Monday 25th August, 2014 on Amazon. 

Here is the trailer to tempt you: 

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