Monday Morning Maybe

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Poster for The Captive

The Captive

Seen it?

2025 | 134 min | Drama, History

Weeknight Watchearly rating

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With soft box office and little lasting buzz, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for history buffs. If you loved The Count of Monte Cristo or Mutiny on the Bounty, start here.
The mood
Thoughtful and character-driven.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 14 min.
What might put you off
It's in Spanish, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

In 1575, the young soldier Miguel de Cervantes is captured on the high seas by Barbary pirates and taken to Algiers as a hostage. Aware that a cruel death awaits him if his family does not pay his ransom soon, he finds refuge in his passion for storytelling.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsSolid

    71% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsSolid

    5 wins and 11 nominations from smaller awards and festivals

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; spent 1 week in Netflix's global Top 10; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactBelow par

    About 68K people sought it out in the past year

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Cast & crew

Directed by Alejandro Amenábar

  • Julio PeñaMiguel
  • Alessandro BorghiHasán Bajá
  • Miguel RellánAntonio de Sosa
  • Fernando TejeroBlanco de Paz
  • Luis CallejoDorador
  • José Manuel PogaDiego Castañeda
  • Roberto ÁlamoAbderramán
  • Albert SalazarBeltrán
  • Juanma MuniagurriaAguilar
  • César SaratxuFriar Juan Gil