WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Unexpected circumstance. A random, unforeseen event can cause either great joy or great anxiety. We hope for the former, wish against the latter, and ideally desire that such instances as a whole would simply never occur at all, wanting everything to happen as we have it planned out in our minds. For single mother Ashley Smith (Kate Mara), life has already been a severe conflict. Facing the loss of a husband and choosing to fill the void with drug addiction highs and stressful lows, the only true light she turns to is her precious daughter Paige (Elle Graham) who is living with Ashley’s aunt, Kim (Mimi Rogers). Working to get her daughter back home, but still battling against meth, Ashley’s life takes a sudden, radical turn.
Escaped convict, Brian Nichols (David Oyelowo), has just come off a murderous rampage in the Atlanta courthouse he was being held at, and manages to avoid the authorities and end up at Ashley’s apartment complex, ultimately taking her hostage. At first fearing for her life, Ashley’s compliance with Nichol’s demands goes without question, even as he is trying himself to fully ascertain his situation, decide what to do, and come up with a plan. While police Detective John Chestnut (Michael K. Williams) and Sergeant Carmen Sandoval (Leonor Varela) work on locating Nichols, the story at Ashley’s apartment takes on a different tone as the two find out more about each other and suddenly realize they’re impacting each other’s lives in ways even bigger than they realize.
Next, my Mind:
This film had a somewhat dubious honor, even if not by choice, of being considered as a “faith-based” film, and in the end, this really would be a categorical misnomer. While the story does most certainly touch on God, hope, faith, and the Rick Warren best seller “The Purpose-Driven Life”, the real emphasis is on the actual character interaction between Ashley and her captor Brian. It is their speaking to one another throughout the hostage scenario that leads to their mutual “enlightenment” and subsequent reflection on the choices made, past and present, as well as considerations for the future. And while this is the case, the fact there WAS that “faith-based” marketing, it doesn’t quite deliver on that level.
Kate Mara is a solid character actress, and after the debacle (not of her making) that was “The Fantastic Four”, it was a pleasant turn to see her come back to what she does best–playing a down-to-earth human being. As this is based on true events, her portrayal of Ashley is genuine and heartfelt. David Oyelowo of “Selma” fame now, also does a fine job at playing the unhinged, yet lost, soul that is Brian Nichols. And seeing the transformation of his character especially lends the real weight to this effort, and compliments Mara’s initially frightened turned truly concerned Ashley well. Again, the film didn’t absolutely grab this reviewer, who frankly was expecting a deeper faith-based message here, but it was still a film about hope and we all need that message more than we might even recognize.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
