Caged (2010)

Caged • Captifs (2010)

Genre: Horror
Director: Yann Gozlan
Starring: Zoé Félix, Eric Savin, Arié Elmaleh
Language: French
Duration: 83 min.
Rating: 6.9  

Summary:

A group of medical aid workers in former Yugoslavia begin to leave for Kosovo when they are kidnapped by a masked gang of organ traffickers.

Caged is the debut feature film from French director Yann Gozlan.  It premiered at the 2010 Fantasy Filmfest in Germany.

The plight of travelers who never make it to their intended destination is a popular one in horror lately.  Set somewhere in the Balkans, this one follows a group of three French doctors who are waylaid by masked and armed gunmen while on their way to Kosovo to provide medical aid.  They soon find out the sinister purpose of their kidnapping, organ harvesting.

Not exactly an original premise, but this is a surprisingly solid entry into the genre that avoids many of the traps and failures normally associated with this type of movie.  Firstly the trio of protagonists are generally likeable and believable people who are realistically introduced, are all well acted, and who aren't forced to break character and do idiotic things to drive the plot.  Secondly, the screenplay stays simple and builds tension without using jump scares, over the top gore, or ridiculous twists that appear out of nowhere.  Lastly the cinematography, set design, and especially the sound, all perfectly convey the terror of captivity, with a basement full of filthy cells that always have just the right amount of shadow, and the most harrowing telephone ringer that you will ever hear.

The result is a film that may not break any new ground but is still a fairly well crafted and enjoyable horror thriller if you can handle this type of thing.

— Bonjour Tristesse