By David Palmer
On the face of it, Ashleigh Smith, a single mom and newly recovering meth addict with, at best, a fragile grip on sobriety was an unlikely role model, but on March 12, 2005, she proved herself worthy by helping to bring multiple killer, Brian Nichols, to justice.
On that day, Nichols took Smith hostage in her own home, but in seven harrowing hours with help from Saddleback church Pastor Rick Warren’s best selling book, “The Purpose Driven Life” she persuaded him to let her go and give himself up. Now, Paramount Pictures has produced “Captive”, a compelling movie about the harrowing encounter of these two characters, the fragile Smith played by Kate Mara of television’s “House of Cards,” and the ruthless Nichols, played by David Oyelowo who starred as Martin Luther King in the movie “Selma.”
Also appearing in the film is actress Mimi Rogers, who plays Ashley’s aunt and guardian of her grand daughter while Ashley tries to put her drug-addled life together. The movie is scheduled for release in mid-September in Little Rock and other markets, but I joined an audience of 200 in watching a pre-opening showing at the Rave Theater in Little Rock.
Like the event on which it is based, “Captive” is a gripping and redemptive tale that begins with Nichols’ escape from Atlanta’s Fulton county court house. Without hesitation or mercy, Nichols shoots to death three people–the Judge, court reporter and sheriff’s deputy and grievously wounds a fourth while making his escape Meanwhile we find Ashley attending a 12 Step meeting in her continuing struggle with a meth addiction. Tired, bedraggled, stuck in a tedious waitress job and lonely for the one person in her life she really cares about, her five-year-old daughter Paige, she finds little comfort in the meeting.
However, at the end, one of the women gives her a copy of Rick Warren’s best selling book “the Purpose Driven Life.” Warren is the founder and pastor of California’s Saddleback Church and also, with John Baker, the Church’s Christ-centered Celebrate Recovery program. As the ordeal unfolds in Smith’s apartment it seems unlikely that the siege will end well. But Smith hangs in there, and begins to read portions of the Purpose Driven Life to Nichols, and buoyed by her growing sobriety and faith, shaky as they are, she prevails.
Seven hours later, Nichols lets her go to a promised date with her aunt and daughter. She turns him in, and he surrenders to the police. It is now 10 years later and Nichols, now 44, remains incarcerated and is serving multiple life sentences. He is currently serving his time in the Georgia diagnostic and Classification State Prison.
Smith wrote a book about her ordeal, “Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero” It was a best seller and remains so today. She is, today, a much sought after speaker, married and a new mother. Ashley
believes God led her through the highly publicized experience to help “unlikely angels” everywhere find hope. As to the influence of Rick Warren, his “The Purpose Driven Life” has sold over 25 million copies urging people to follow God’s plan for them and to serve others.
“I believe great churches are built on broken people,” Warren has said, “people willing to abandon pride, pretensions, and self-righteous posturing. When we reach the end of our rope and give up our self-sufficiency that is when God moves into our lives with healing and growth.”
The Celebrate Recovery ministry, developed at Saddleback 20 years ago, focuses on helping people overcome a variety of addictions, hurts and hang-ups. It has enjoyed phenomenal growth worldwide, and, to date, it has spread to 4,500 churches in 48 states and 12 foreign countries, including Siberia.
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