36
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshLos Angeles TimesKatie WalshOyelowo and Mara's riveting, embodied performances rise above the material.
- 60Screen DailyScreen DailyConvincing performances from David Oyelowo and Kate Mara – as an escaped killer and his drug addicted hostage – are the saving grace of Captive, a decent dramatic thriller somewhat weighed down by its mildly religious message.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThough much of the drama is clunky and flat, the taut, visceral performances by David Oyelowo and Kate Mara never err.
- 60VarietyGeoff BerkshireVarietyGeoff BerkshireAlthough Captive largely succeeds as a two-hander, it stumbles in the minimal attempts to broaden the scope beyond Smith and Nichols’ time together.
- 40Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghArizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghOyelowo and Mara try to bring humanity and tension to the testimonial thriller of two lost souls finding their way together, but they only succeed in bursts, hampered by marketing copy masquerading as dialogue.
- 40The New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe New York TimesNicolas RapoldA credit-sequence television clip of Mr. Warren and the real Ms. Smith with Oprah Winfrey makes the entire movie feel like the strangest book infomercial in memory.
- 38St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonSt. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonOyelowo and Mara achieve terrific chemistry. Perhaps they’ll work together again — in a better film.
- 38New York PostSara StewartNew York PostSara StewartFor a story whose appeal hinges on the saving grace of getting a "purpose-driven life," this one's got remarkably little of it.
- 20TheWrapJames RocchiTheWrapJames RocchiThe film’s so inflated with moral importance that it becomes ridiculous, a Lifetime movie shoved into a cage and fattened with sermons and platitudes until it is ready to be served up cold and bland.
- 20New York Daily NewsStephen WhittyNew York Daily NewsStephen WhittyFor a movie about purpose, Captive never finds its own.