普泽（雅克·维列雷 Jacques Villeret 饰）是当地一名受人尊敬的小学老师，他还有另一个身份——小丑。一到星期天，他就带上家当，在戏团里表演令人捧腹的小丑独角戏。儿子鲁西恩十分不理解他这种行为，觉得父亲的表演令他难堪。普泽的好朋友安德（安德烈·杜索里埃 André Dussollier 饰）看出了鲁西恩的心思，于是向他讲起了一段往事。
二战期间，在法国的一个小镇上，普泽和安德为了讨好他们心仪的一个姑娘，决定当一回抗战英雄。夜里，他们把德军占领的铁路设施炸毁了，同时也炸伤了一名法国老工人。不久，德军为了揪出凶手，就随机抽取四个本地男人作为人质，如果真凶不来投案，就枪决人质。不幸的是，普泽和安德也被抽中。人质被囚禁在一个深坑里，就在他们又冷又饿之时，坑口上出现了一个德国士兵。他对着四人做出各种滑稽动作，还把食物扔给他们，他说自己以前是马戏团里的小丑……
Follows London Clash, a movie star whose world is turned upside down when he must choose between pursuing his one true love and landing a life-changing, starring role in a major motion picture.
电影提名09年度俄罗斯奥斯卡（尼卡奖）最佳电影。
Based on Vladimir Makanin's The Prisoner from the Caucasus CAPTIVE focuses on the folly of war in an intimate, startling way. In modern times, the Russian soldiers are trapped in the vast Chechen landscape, stifling in the heat, lost in hostile, alien surrounds. The handsome, laconic commander Rubakhin and the playful sniper Vovka need a guide to lead their convoy to safety. They seize a local, beautiful boy, who becomes their passport to safety, but must pay a terrible price. And his captors will not escape from the incident unscathed either....
