Captive Review
Buoyed by its interesting historical context, this sumptuous historical drama is a little stop-start.
In 1575, the young Miguel de Cervantes (Julio Pena) is taken captive by the fearsome Hassan, Baja of Alger (Alessandro Borghi). While awaiting ransom, he discovers an unexpected refuge in the art of storytelling, and devises a daring escape plan. This film tackles the inspiring story of the man who would go on to write Don Quixote, and become the most famous Spanish author of all time.
Captive really sings in certain moments. And to be fair, most of those moments are when Alessandro Borghi are on screen. In a very different role to those familiar with his work alongside Patrick Dempsey in Devils, Borghi brings a sensual, panther-like prowling to his performance. He and Julio Pena have an amazing shorthand and play well off one another.
Some of the other performances can’t quite be held up to the same standard. There are quite a few roles here that don’t quite mesh with the whole, and to be fair that probably isn’t down to the actors - who all do generally a great job. Rather, this probably speaks to an issue with the direction. Alejandro Amenabar can’t quite keep the tone right across all of these different voices, and it leads to a film that feels very much at odds with itself. Sometimes, it’s deadly serious, with a dangerous feel, exploring progressive issues in this historical context. Other times, there are moments of such slapstick humour you wonder what the choice was there.
From a story perspective, the film has a really intriguing tale that it explores. This is a genuine historic marvel, and the filmmakers do well to blend some interesting narrative elements to showcase Cervantes’ storytelling ability. It doesn’t always lead to the easiest film to understand, but it does try for something slightly new. Then again, the film runs long at 2 hours and 14 minutes, and you certainly feel that length.
Overall, Captive certainly has an interesting tale to tell. It might not always do so in the most interesting or strongest way, but if you stick with this sumptuous and exploratory historical review, you might well find a lot to love in it.
