In September of 2015, in this very moment, if one were to try and pinpoint one of the leading causes of cinematic death, currently bordering on epidemic, it would have to be the staunch adherence-to-source-material disease that many filmmakers have advertised with self-praise. “We’re loyal to the book,” is a familiar, self-satisfied phrase, as if the idea of not changing a word in a story grants you instant integrity and also assures a remarkable movie. We’ve seen faithful adaptations like this fail in recent years (“Watchmen”), but of late, we’ve also seen true-life stories also rendered flaccid by adhering doggedly to the facts (“Freeheld”) and hoping they are enough (spoiler: they are not).
Very curious then is Paramount’s faith-based thriller “Captive,” which takes a real-life kidnapping and adds absolutely nothing to it. There’s so much to puzzle and ponder over with “Captive,” a movie that could be mistaken as bold with its obdurate approach, but is actually shockingly...
