Captive tells the true story of recovering meth addict Ashley Smith who is taken hostage in her own home by Brian Nichols, a murderer on the run looking to make contact with his newborn son. While a city wide manhunt is happening, Ashley begins to read aloud from Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life, setting both Ashley and Brian on a life changing course.

This is a gritty, tense film, it is violent and may make people feel uncomfortable. Being based on a true story, to know that this actually actually happened makes the film even more tense and gritty, along with some fantastic acting from David Oyelowo and Kate Mara, who both make their characters real and believable. You can feel the tension.

Throughout the film hints of faith are woven through. With Ashley reading aloud from The Purpose Driven Life, there are small discussions between her and Brian about God, about having a purpose to your life, about forgiveness. Throughout the days of being captive in her own home, God is at work and both Ashley and Brian change.

This film is a shift in tone for faith-based movies and will not suit everyone, though is a extremely well produced film, it hasn’t glossed over what really happened, it is a tense, dark story and very gritty which is portrayed closely.

Perhaps the takeaway from this film and you do get a sense of this, is that addictions can take you captive, what is it that is taking you captive and how will you deal with it? Know that God has a purpose for your life, God forgives and with God’s help you can overcome anything that is taking you captive.

This is a true story where God changed lives.