True-life film hopes to captivate more than just Christians

On Friday, for the second time in the past three weeks, a major faith-based drama that was shot in Charlotte opened in theaters nationwide.

But this one – Paramount’s “Captive” – sets itself apart from TriStar’s surprise hit “War Room” in a couple of key ways.

One, it’s based on a gripping true-crime story that many will probably remember. Two, it stars known Hollywood actors, including David Oyelowo of the Oscar-nominated “Selma” and Kate Mara of the Emmy-winning “House of Cards.”

And for both of those reasons, “Captive” has a legitimate shot at attracting audiences that might otherwise hear the words “faith-based” and head straight for the nearest Johnny Depp flick.

Here’s the setup: Oyelowo plays Brian Nichols, who in March 2005 was on trial for rape when he escaped custody inside Atlanta’s Fulton County Courthouse and killed four people, including the judge presiding over his case. Mara plays Ashley Smith, a young widow who was losing a battle with meth addiction and struggling to regain custody of her 3-year-old daughter.

As he eluded authorities, fate put Nichols outside of Smith’s apartment in the middle of the night. He forced her inside and held her hostage for seven hours, but in the morning, let her walk away unharmed.

Why? At least in part, the story goes, because Smith read to him passages from Christian author Rick Warren’s massively popular devotional book “The Purpose Driven Life.” Nichols surrendered peacefully and got a life sentence; Smith went on to kick her drug habit, rebuild her family and co-write her own bestseller, “Unlikely Angel,” which recounted her ordeal.

But director Jerry Jameson and writer Brian Bird – working from Smith’s memoir – almost seem to go out of their way to avoid “Purpose Driven Life”-thumping, with the book only showing up early and late in the film for brief spells. And despite a slightly schmaltzy postscript, the filmmakers show surprising restraint.

Oyelowo (pronounced “oh-yellow-oh”) thinks that’s a good thing.

“I was always very keen on it not feeling like a film that was agenda-ridden from a preachy point of view,” said the 39-year-old British actor, a devout Christian who also earned a producing credit for the film. “It does touch on faith and it’s an integral part of the film, but ... I always as an actor and as an audience member favor not being patronized by a film.”

Instead, Oyelowo wanted Smith’s story to speak for itself.

“This is a ripped-from-the-headlines, life-is-weirder-than-fiction type of movie, yet it felt like a very human story,” he said. “Of all the apartments Brian Nichols ends up in, it’s this recovering meth addict, Ashley Smith, who like him – through bad choices – doesn’t have access to her child either. (A girlfriend of Nichols had given birth to his son just three days before the rampage.)

“Something of a recognition of each other’s brokenness is what seems to have stopped them in their tracks. I mean, there’s nothing to suggest that Brian Nichols wouldn’t have killed Ashley Smith as well that night. But not only did that not happen, he let her go and gave himself up. All of those elements are so miraculous and intriguing to me, the fact that some kind of light was found in this very, very dark place.”

Oyelowo added: “I just didn’t want anyone – whether they are Christians or not – to walk away feeling like they’d been bashed over the head.”

At the same time, catering specifically to Christian audiences hasn’t been a bad thing for movies like “War Room,” which was filmed in the Charlotte area from May through July in 2014.

Since being released on Aug. 28, “War Room” has grossed more than $40 million and stands as the ninth-most successful Christian film of all-time. It reportedly was produced for just $3 million.

As further proof that Christian movies are hot, three other titles in the top 10 were released last year: “Heaven Is for Real” ($91 million), “God’s Not Dead” ($60 million) and “Son of God” ($59 million).

Meanwhile, the real-life Ashley Smith – portrayed by Kate Mara on screen – clearly wants “Captive” to deliver a strong Christian message to audiences.

“I honestly hope that it changes people’s lives and helps people see that ... it’s never too late to turn your life around and surrender to God and let him take control,” said Smith, now 37. “The world tells us we have to look a certain way and talk a certain way for God to love us, and that’s simply not the truth.”

Smith was remarried seven years ago, and in addition to daughter Paige (now 15) has a 13-year-old stepdaughter, Riley, and a 3-year-old son, Cole. The family lives in North Augusta, S.C., where Smith works as a CT/X-ray technician.

She has not seen Nichols since the morning he set her free.

“I definitely am going to let God make that choice for me,” Smith said when asked if she would ever try to reconnect with him. “I kind of have mixed emotions. Sometimes I feel like I should (see him again), and other times I feel like it’s just better left alone – that the time that we spent together was the time that we were meant to spend together.”

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 9:51 AM with the headline "True-life film hopes to captivate more than just Christians."