Captives

I probably wouldn't have rented it if I realized it was a woman having an affair with a prisoner, so I'm glad I didn't know that or I would have missed out on this very good movie. As it was, it turned out to be more of what I expected - two people who had been drawn together by sexual chemistry being bonded together from a shared adversity. And the sexual chemistry and tension between Roth and Ormond (or, technically, their characters as portrayed by the two excellent actors) is very strong. This is one hot movie, and it manages to be so with no nudity (although, it does have a sex scene). The movie also keeps tension throughout by showing various people noticing them. That way, you really can't be sure who their future threat will be.

Tim Roth never ceases to amaze me with the parts that he plays. He is an "actor's actor". Julia Ormond had some roles in which, I believe, she received unfair unfavorable reviews, here in the states. She is a very talented actress, capable of giving great depth to each performance. Without the experience of working in, and knowing prison systems, this story may seem improbable to some. Having spent some time working at an American prison during graduate schooling, I feel a need to say that it is not at all improbable. I feel that the short synopsis given for this film is not representative of the intention and depth of this creation. Both of the two main characters are in vulnerable personal positions. Their affair is one that is likely enhanced by the potential threat to her job and his upcoming parole. However, the actual relationship these two people establish, is so tender, touching and truly intimate. The trap that develops around them is frightening for them both. But it is this, that brings out each one's absolute need to protect one another, thereby cementing their bond and making them "captives", each to the other's heart. This is a film that I can watch over and over again, even in one evening. I highly recommend it.

Rachel Clifford is a teacher in a dentistry school who starts doing a few days a week in a local prison while breaking up with her husband. It is in this delicate state that she meets prisoner Philip Chaney in the chair. When she meets him again it is in a supermarket – she is doing a shop while he is on day release to attend college. From this informal meeting they gain a natural, chatty air and, with neither really understanding why, they start to become close and meet up each time he gets out. However, in the vicious world of prison there are no real secrets and it is only a matter of time before other cons will see this as a chance to manipulate the situation to their advantage.

Although this sounds like it has a terrible plot, it actually works pretty well for the majority of the film. The core relationship that drives the film is convincingly developed and it is only really in the later stages of the film that the need for a dramatic narrative sees things turning away from the small scale and become slightly less convincing. Of course by then I was into the characters and could forgive it but it still didn't sit that easily with me. Of course for some viewers even the relationship side won't work and I can understand why; some will see it as clunky and obvious but for me it worked and it did so for two reasons.

The first reason is the acting. Ormond may have seemed to have dropped off the A-list that she was in during the mid-1990's but here she is great. Her character is just damaged and frail enough to be needy enough to fall in love in such a situation but not to the point where her love seems like a failing. It sounds simple but it isn't and yet Ormond manages to pull it off. Roth is always interesting and he is just as good here. He is dark, hurt, filled with regret and entirely unsure of how to exist in the two worlds (prison and love) at the same time. They go well together and make things a lot more natural than the plot summary would suggest. The second reason is Pope. Her direction is very good and makes the most out of what must have been a modest budget – only occasionally does it show that it was a BBC film. She never overdoes stuff to draw emotion from the audience and she lets the actors work well.

Overall this was a good film but one that requires you to accept that you are watching a slow BBC drama rather than a Hollywood tearjerker. The story may not be totally convincing but it is not for the want of trying – Pope, Ormond and Roth combine to make this much better than it could have been. Worth seeing for slow development and engaging performances although I wonder how well it sells outside of a UK market more suited to this sort of slow burn stuff.

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 role

Ormond 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

This is a movie I watch over and over. You care about Rachel (Ormond) and Philip (Roth) from the beginning. You see the struggle they both go through when weighing what they have to lose by beginning a relationship. Then it's a romantic/suspenseful joyride to the end. If you like Roth or Ormond, you will love this movie, the rest of you, give it a try, you won't be sorry.