Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

Clarissa Mora The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

pscbkhan Overall, the film certainly was enthralling. However, the reason for this is the fascinating and truly disturbing nature of this heinous, cold, brutal and unfathomable crime, not the quality of the script or screenplay.I understand Michelle's reasons for wanting to authorise and contribute to the making of this film, but sadly that doesn't change the fact that the finished product is rushed and does no justice to the sheer despair and pain these girls felt captive in that place. This case shocked me at the time, but when recently I was reminded of it after watching a Fritzl documentary, I became really intrigued by many things about this case. Castro as a person, his deceiving ways of luring the victims, that house, the street, Cleveland as a place. I've seen the interviews and news coverage, Castro's statement in court etc. As a sociologist, its truly mind boggling that these women made it through such a distressing, frightening and brutal situation. How did it go unnoticed? How is it possible with people visiting that house? In some parallel American universe, boarded up windows on a residential house is somehow inconspicuous, and the fact that the police ignored reports of screams is diabolical on their behalf. If that was England, the previous two points I made would undoubtedly prompted more of a reaction by the Police. All this movie did for me was shed more light on what went on in the house and Ariel's relationship with the girls, so for that I can't fault it much. But some of the acting and the way the scenes play out doesn't in any way capture the extent of the suffering that took place and the effects it could have on someone. Amanda Berry being apparently alone all the time in another room and having a child with him deserved more airtime than she received, as well as Gina being so so very young, naive and scared too. What i'm saying is that this story needs a better director, around 200 minutes minimum, a much bigger budget and a plot that delves deeper into the circumstances around each kidnapping and the effects on each victim, individually.May all three of these women have the rest of their lives filled with joy and may they be able to move past this hell and be loved like they deserved, along with Amanda's child.

aalihyacarpenter This movie is the best movie that i have ever watched it was a sad movie but like always there was a happy ending. i am sorry for those three girls that were held captive in that house. and to Ariel Castro i hope you riot in prison. I'm only 14 and i have never said that to anyone. i didn't believe that he held those girls captive. Ariel Castro is a sick mentally ill man that i hope no likes. i strongly hate you and i hope i don't have to say that to anyone else but you. 11 years that man held these girls and rapped them made one have an abortion. but then he let one have a little girl what was he going to rap that little girl to.

Melissa McDaid Taryn Manning plays a tremendous part in this true story. While I understand many viewers frustration at the focus being mostly on Michelle's character, I believe that it is important to remember that the film is based mostly on Michelle's book which helped steer the story in that direction. Although difficult to watch at times due to the implied brutality, I was unable to take my eyes from the screen the entire movie. Depicts the story of these 3 young girls (and not forgetting the daughter) excellently while allowing an understanding as to why the girls were never able to escape. This would have been an 8 star review if not for the performance of Taryn Manning, which bumps it up to 9 stars.

Theo Robertson The Cleveland abductions ? You remember that don't you ? No ? Let me refresh your memory . , A couple of years ago police in Cleveland Ohio raided a house belonging to one Ariel Castro who as it turned out kept three young women as captives . One of whom Michelle Knight had been held prisoner for eleven years . You remember it now and it'd be impossible to forget this true life horror story and this TVM tells of Michelle's ordeal Now to be fair having the story told through a television film via the Lifetime Channel is both a blessing and a curse . A blessing that we're not going to be subjected to extreme exploitation that's going to keep us awake for nights on end due to the disturbing subject material but at the same time a curse that the restrain of a TVM really doesn't do the story justice . In this medium it's a rather uneasy mix but doesn't stop an opening caption that "Contains distressing scenes . Viewer discretion advised" . The constant rapes and beatings of Michelle are thankfully left mainly to the imagination but at the same time you're left thinking that this isn't due to any cerebral reason except that you're not allowed to show that type of stuff on the channel . In other words the story is shaped by outside criteria that have got absolutely nothing to do with the story and everything to do with outside factors . Another irritant is that you never get to feel much in the way of Michelle's hopes of ever being rescued being dashed time and again which I'm sure must have constantly happened . None of this is helped by the feeling of time passing being conspicuous by its absence and much of this TVM feels like it has taken place in 90 minutes rather than the eleven years of Michelle's real time imprisonment . There's not enough foundations for the audience to emotionally invest enough in to Michelle's ordeal which is terrible but at the same time abstract which means despite the compelling subject matter the characters remain entirely distant