The beauty of cinema is that you can take any and every story imaginable, either fact or fiction, and bring it to life to unearth stories that people never knew about or simply forgot because of the millions of things that pass us by on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. This movie takes us back to 2005 when fugitive Brian Nichols murdered 3 people in a courthouse and was on the run during on of the biggest manhunts in the United States. This movie is based on a true story, so before you go out saying that I spoiled the movie, it really happened, so keep that in mind. I was 15 years old at the time that this happened, so I might have heard of it, maybe a brief mention, but I didn’t remember it until I was watching it and that information was passed along. This movie would go through the dramatic time period from the event to him taking over a hostage’s house, who goes by the name of Ashley Robinson.

This is the season for movies, and that’s highly emphasized by all the stars that have flooded Toronto for the Film Festival. David Oyelowo & Kate Mara are the main contributors of this movie where we not only see the desperation and paranoia that Brian exhibited, but we are also witnesses to the life struggles of Ashley being a drug addict & single mother who is fighting to kick the habit & get her daughter back into her life. Brian is also dealing with his own family issues when it comes to his newborn son, but for obvious reasons, he wouldn’t be able to see him. The one constant in the movie that helped push the narrative between the brief encounter between Ashley & Brian comes from a book, which is used to help Ashley through recovery (The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren). It connects them through conversation while still having a tense atmosphere between fugitive & captive.

After watching the trailer, I was glued in, and where there are the moments that are suspenseful & dramatic, the movie as a whole didn’t resonate with me as something that’s deep and compassionate, although it is touching that the movie was dedicated to all of the victims of the tragic incident. There was a lot going in the story that just felt like it breezed by although things were explained throughout. You got both sides when it came to Ashley & Brian, also with the law & order component. Really I just felt indifferent about it, but it doesn’t make it a bad movie, because it isn’t. It was just there. There are moments in life where we realize what’s important and there are people who are placed into our lives for a variety of reasons for us to look in our reflection and determine whether we want to change it for better or remain stagnant. There are a lot of mirrors that are in the movie to convey the message, so I did appreciate that symbolism. It’s one of those movies that you just come across on Netflix that will likely be one of those hidden gems, but as for right now, it’s in the middle for my range of emotions. Still check it out if it peaks your interests. But for now, this is my opinion, this is my review

That’s My Word & It STiXX