Seven months after the first trailer landed, A24 Films has now issued a second teaser and new poster for The Captive ahead of its December theatrical release. From director Atom Egoyan, the abduction thriller officially bowed during this year’s awards season and has so far gathered a mixed bag of reviews. Will this newly crafted preview dispel any bad word of mouth?
Tackling the obvious comparison first, the long-gestating pic revolves around a similar story to last year’s Prisoners. After a read of the synopsis, it seems the film follows the same story as depicted in Denis Villeneuve’s haunting, twisting thriller.
The story begins when Matthew (Ryan Reynolds) stops off at a pie shop for only a moment, leaving his daughter in the car. He returns to the vehicle to find her gone without a trace. Thus, the film’s main plot revs its engine, delving into a drawn-out series of events which are described in the official synopsis:
“Her unsolved abduction destroys Matthew’s once-happy relationship with his wife, Tina (Mireille Enos), who, haunted by mementos of Cassandra that appear mysteriously at her work, suspects her husband of foul play. Years later, when detectives Nicole (Rosario Dawson) and Jeffrey (Scott Speedman) discover recent images of Cassandra online, Matthew risks everything to ensure his daughter’s safe return–and to save himself and Tina from the limbo of unrelenting despair.”
The trailer makes a brave attempt to amp up tension. Opening on blustery scenes of a snowy winter, it certainly looks like the perfect environment for a mystery to unfold, much like Fargo, The Frozen Ground and yes, Prisoners. What follows next is a compelling slideshow of scenes that are seemingly unrelated. A hint toward a complex plot, perhaps? If you’re eager to find out, you can watch The Captive now on DirecTV, or when it opens in cinemas on December 12th.
