Well, OK... been there, done that. Three doctors stationed for humanitarian help in Kosovo take a detour and get lost (Yawn!) and then captured by what at first appears to be militia but then turn out to be some evil thugs harvesting organs for a living. Pretty Hostel and Severance but way too serious and uninspired. From the wannabe opening scene introducing a childhood trauma of the female lead to the following arm wrestling scene in a pub you know everything that is coming up and its unfolding in most clichéd ways. Like in nearly all latest french horror movies the heroine saves the day and kicks some ass. Anyway... ass-kicking is not the point here. Most of the movie tries to create a threatening atmosphere of the isolation of the captives in their cells. The evil doc is not missing, checking their heartbeat regularly and caring for their wounds but every thug is of course most evil just waiting for a call to cut out organs (grotesquely starting with they eyes) and make some cash. For two thirds of the movie nearly nothing is happening. You are just watching the captives in their cells growing desperate and plotting botched escapes. Anyway... then you get what you have been waiting for in most uninspired ways (except for one creative kill and a nice hide and seek in a corn field). Movie over. I see no character development in this movie, I see no creativity in this movie, I see no plot in this movie and I see just too little atmosphere and thrill in it to carry it to the end. For the serious tone of the movie its pretty annoying to have the characters act out in most dumb horror clichés by making noise and forgetting to keep the weapons lying around everywhere... At least there was no cellphone without signal here! All in all a big let down amongst all the great horror movies from France in the last years. Just as big a letdown as Vertige last year which at least had some stunning mountain shots and suspenseful mountain climbing scenes.
Review of Captifs
