Matialth
Good concept, poorly executed.
AutCuddly
Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,
Raymond Sierra
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
Isbel
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Nylind
This film showcases the sole reason why it is a shame that Julia Ormond has slowly faded in and out of the international film scene.Tim Roth plays against his "Mr. Orange" persona very well. Ormond shines as the dentist just trying to do her job, and keep her head over water in a large and dangerous prison population.Roth and Ormond are great, the setting giving the characters an interesting backdrop to play out a twisted tale of love and trust.For the characters the love is unexpected, for the film fan the enjoyment is indescribable. To Julia Ormond your fans want you to take more chances do more films. Roth keep doing what you do best, stealing the show...
Theo Robertson
Anyone remember Julia Ormond ? She was a British actress touted as the next big thing in Hollywood and starred in the female friendly movies LEGENDS OF THE FALL and SABRINA . CAPTIVES is another chick flick movie starring Ormond and to be honest I think it's her best starring roleOrmond plays Rachel Clifford a newly qualified dentist who sometimes works in a prison . After finishing work she does her shopping at a supermarket and bumps into one of the inmates called Philip Chaney who is nearing his release date . After striking up a connection ... Ah but that would be telling I found CAPTIVES a thoroughly engrossing drama for the most part . Yeah anything involving a romance between two mismatched people isn't usually my kind of movie and I doubt if it was produced for a target audience of 30 something blokes , but that's not to criticise it in anyway . The central plot of two people coming closer and closer together as seen here is convincing and the characters are well defined helped no doubt by the understated performances of Ormond and Roth . Alas it's not flawless The problem is about two thirds of the way through there's a plot twist as if the producers said to themselves " Hold on let's try and liven things up a bit so it'll appeal to streetwise wannabe gangsta boys " . The screenplay did not need livening up since everything was going so well . Yeah as the demographic breakdown on this site shows far more females enjoyed this than males but there's no way CAPTIVES can be described as soppy , it's set in a prison for goodness sake and the shock ending should have been the revelation of what Chaney was in jail for and how this affected the new relationship . Like the famous cult film SCUM this is another movie featuring the British penal system whose natural ending takes place two thirds of the way in and has a rather illogical final third tacked on in the hope of shocking the audience So that's the major problem with CAPTIVES and why it loses it's potential when it had fulfilled much of it earlier on . It was also produced by the BBC and unsurprisingly it has this made for TV feel instead of a cinematic sensation which may disappoint some people . I did enjoy watching it at the time but when I came to type this review I'd almost forgotten why mainly due to the ending , same as it appears everyone seems to have forgotten Julia Ormond
yes_i_am84
This movie was in the middle of the night but, as I saw on the TV guide that it was starring Tim Roth and Julia Ormond, I decided a timer would be well-placed. I got more than I expected from this BBC production, which, I can say now, is one of my favourite films.WARNING:MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS The story, set in a dark and rainy London, is about a dentist, Rachel Clifford (a Julia Ormond who's perfectly filling the role) who has just gone through a hard divorce from her husband and partner at work Simon, so she decides to accept a job as a prison dentist. That's the way she comes into touch with the prison's hard reality and she meets a person who will change her life: prisoner Philip Chaney (an always wonderful Tim Roth who would deserve to be better known in my country). Their feelings are evident to each other at first sight, and in some way, a relationship begins... and, with it, troubles for the two of them, both inside their relationship and with other captives. END SPOILERSEverything, I mean EVERYTHING, works in this film: atmosphere (the "gothic" side of London), music (by the great Colin Towns), plot, directing, and mainly the two lead performances. Rachel is a very complex character, but her dominant feeling is a desperate need of love, a need to be the center of someone's life; through Ormond's performance this is perfectly rendered. And about Roth... well, I have no words for his acting here except, perhaps, "more living than life"! Look... just watch carefully the scene of Rachel's first visit and dialogue to Philip. They are not acting but living. And by the way who said that Tim isn't filling properly the role for his physical appearance? Should everybody look like Tom Cruise? This is not the ONLY thing a woman falls for. Just look at his eyes glancing at her to find reasons for her attraction...Overall a story that's sad, rough, dark...and tender at the same time. It will capture your attention and your breath for a hour and a half. Be nice to yourself and see!
DFL
This movie's premise-a prisoner and outsider falling in love- may normally turn many people off. Surprisingly, is well-scripted, wonderfully filmed (some of the best camera shots and angles I've ever seen, and exceptionally well-performed. Julia Ormond, who I normally don't much care for, was wonderful. Tim Roth, as usual, blew me away. It remains one of the few movies I can watch repeatedly.