Prisoners

Prisoners (2013)

**** (out of 4)

Incredibly well-made and intense mystery about two little girls who go missing and the detective (Jake Gyllenhaal) put on the case to find them. When the original suspect (Paul Dano) is let go, one of the girl's father (Hugh Jackman) decides to take justice in his own hands. I really had high hopes going into PRISONERS and my expectations for a great film were met but I must admit that it wasn't anywhere near the type of great film I expected. A lot of thrillers these days are limited on talk and emotions and instead we just get one big, staged action scene after another. That's certainly not the case here because the film takes its time (153-minutes) telling its story and there are so many quiet moments where we just see the characters losing their grip and emotions as they try to make sense of not knowing where these two girls are. What really pushes the film over the edge are the terrific performances with Jackson leading the way in what's the best performance I've seen from him. This isn't your "loving" father in the traditional sense. Instead he's someone quite scary from the first time we see him and we see how much worse he gets as the picture goes along. While on one hand you sympathize with his situation, on the other hand you really can't support what he's doing and often wonderful about his own involvement in things. Jackman really comes off like a man full of emotion and rage and he just doesn't know how to properly let it out. The anger he shows throughout the film is something so raw that you really do feel as if you're watching a man who has a daughter missing. Gyllenhaal also deserves a lot of credit for the way he played the detective role. I really loved the various obstacles that his character gets put through and especially the own weakness and at times stuck-up approach. The supporting cast includes wonderful performances by Dano, Melissa Leo, Terrence Howard, Maria Bello and Viola Davis. The screenplay isn't going to give you a lot of easy answers and there are many times where you hate the lead characters and can't find anything in them to root for. I thought it was quite brave that the film was willing to take so many chances and it asks the viewer to ask themselves many questions about how they would react to what's going on. I can't say I agreed with all the choices but it's great that a film actually makes you think as that's something quite rare these days. PRISONERS isn't exactly an "enjoyable" film as it has you feeling dirty throughout the running time but if you stick with it the thing is certainly very rewarding.

If you think of someone being a prisoner, you automatically might think of someone behind bars. But apart from a physical prison, a prisoner can also be trapped mentally, either by his own doing or by someone else. This movie that starts off pretty light gets very heavy. And it is carried by its actors. Gyllenhalls characters might seem odd and out of place at the beginning, even like a cardboard cutout. But he does have more to do as the movie progresses.

Still front row seat is Hugh Jackman. And while some might argue that a female should have a bigger role in this, you only have so much time to tell a story. And this is perfectly told and cut together. It might not fit your description of entertainment (and I don't think the filmmaker would love it described as such), but the movie is really great. If you like dramas in general you should be cherishing this .... and you will.

We have a few grey areas that we visit and the ending did not satisfy everyone (I know from friends). But the movie could not have ended any other way (in my book). Superb movie one of the best released in 2013

Prisoners, the new film from Canadian director Denis Villeneuve (Polytechnique), is a top notch nail-biting crime-drama that is as good a theatre as modern Hollywood has the ability to produce.

Hugh Jackman and Maria Bello play the parental figures of the Dover family. They are your average hard-working blue-collar family who begin their story by visiting neighbours Franklin and Nancy Birch (Terrence Howard and Viola Davis) for a Thanksgiving dinner. The Franklins and the Dover's each have two children, the youngest of which (Anna and Joy) head out from their home on a November afternoon to play only to mysteriously disappear.

Upon a frantic search, the Franklins and the Dover's suspect the worse. Especially when their elder children tell them of a mysterious camper that was parked just down the street. Police soon find the camper with Alex Jones (Paul Dano) behind the wheel. Alex has the mentality of a 10-year-old and tries fleeing when surrounded by authorities. But when Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to interrogate Alex, he is less convinced that Alex was a part of the abduction. As days pass, Loki and Keller Doller work in opposite directions on the investigation. Keller is convinced that Alex Jones was a part of the abduction and kidnaps the frail and challenged Jones and tortures him for days in an attempt to extract answers. Meanwhile, Detective Loki follows leads that open up possibilities of a crime where multiple persons may be involved. And Oscar nominee Melissa Leo appears in a supporting but pivotal role that will assist in the closure.

The trailer for Prisoners may have audiences hearkening back to Ron Howard's Ransom, but this is hardly the cookie-cutter kidnapping film that Mel Gibson lead back in 1996. Prisoners instead is an engulfing drama. One with a superb performance by lead Hugh Jackman that challenges how far someone would/should go in an effort to locate their stolen child.

The script, from writer Aaron Guzikowski (Contrband) takes audiences down many different paths and emotional rides and Jackman's performance will have you rooting for his quest for answers even though his methods are unorthodox and highly illegal.

The film is gritty and full of realistic characters and situations culminating in a perfect ending that goes 9/10ths of the way in giving its audience full closure. Not as much an edge-of-your seat thriller as it is a Zodiac type of crime drama where the stakes are the lives of two small children.

Denis Villeneuve's last effort, Incendies, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2011. Prisoners shows that he can move solidly into big star larger scaled films with the ease of a well worn slipper. And Prisoners catapults Villeneuve into not just a director to watch, but a director whose work should be awaited with palpable excitement.

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Wow, what an intensely suspenseful film Prisoners was. The film commences with a naturalistic and peaceful look of a suburban neighborhood, leafless trees calmly swaying along with the cool air that encompass them. All is fine, and a perfectly normal family visits their friends/neighbors for a delightful dinner and some music. Everything is fine and dandy until both family's two kids run off to retrieve a toy they left outside. After pleasant conversation, the two families begin to realize that their kids haven't gotten back yet. The noiseless environment around them feels incredibly unusual, and once they realize that their kids have officially gone missing, chaos breaks loose. We are suddenly presented with a ruthless father (played by Hugh Jackman) who loves his daughter so much that he's willing to transcend any morally difficult obstacles to hopefully locate her.

A spectacular cast, ranging from the likes of Hugh Jackman to Jake Gyllenhaal to Viola Davis and Terrence Howard, create such a chilling atmosphere that everyone in the audience immediately notices the discomforting subject matter as they prepare for a disturbing viewing. One should know prior to visiting the movie theater that this film doesn't feature morally perfect individuals. They are all human beings cast into an unbelievably frightening situation, and this is where larges amounts of debate will stir. There's one side of the audience that will persistently detest the characters' actions and the characters themselves, and there's the other side (which I am proudly a part of) that will essentially understand that people can't possibly (always) be the "goody-two-shoes" heroes, perceived in Hollywood blockbusters, in reality- that, by god, I will partake morally and ethically questionable activities to save a precious, loved one, absolutely! Such conversation/argument is healthy for it proves the memorability factor of the film itself. After you witness the terrifically-crafted picture, you will find enjoyment in discussing the movie's events with friends and family with- eventually- two sides forming over the talk.

And holy crap is Hugh Jackman entirely convincing in his performance. You can see the longing to find his sweet, innocent daughter through his miserable eyes, filled with redness, desperation, and anger. Then, there's Jake Gyllenhaal as the second lead, playing an ambitious cop who holds a very impressive resume: no unsolved cases left under his plate. Can that mean his skill will greatly help in this predicament? On a similar note, Paul Dano takes the prize after Hugh Jackman for another wonderful performance. No offense or anything, but he completely fits into these immensely creepy and eerie roles.

Speaking of, the soundtrack will definitely remain in that shocked mind of yours long after you've left the theater because it fills us with a sense of hopelessness and discomfort. At times, it sounds exceptionally ominous with the disconcerting sound of those violins in play. At others, it sounds like the music weeps for all those involved. The pace never seems to drag even though it clocks in at around 150 minutes as you remain at the edge of seat the entire time, utterly perplexed by everything that's transpiring and wholly befuddled by the choices that these people are making. The film will make you cringe and question the humanity of the participants or the competence of our law (that word could mean two things). Although I was slightly disappointed with the end result, the majority of the film strongly intrigued me. And, oh, how could I forget, the cinematography is simply amazing. Roger Deakins, the brilliant cinematographer behind last year's Skyfall, manages the camera-work of this film as well. As one wise critic said, a drive in the rain never felt so disquieting- a moment of foreboding.

Furthermore, I would not recommend skipping out on Prisoners unless you're of the type that prefers more lighthearted and fun movies like The Avengers. If you love films that explore more than just entertainment and "fun," such as important themes and moral ambiguity as a whole, you cannot go wrong with Prisoners. With a mix of top-notch cinematography, remarkably unsettling music, superb performances, and a thrilling/powerful story, Prisoners will definitely be one of this year's features that I'll surely be remembering. The true cinema season has started; now, let's hope every film from here on out delivers like this one did.

Hugh Jackman takes you on a trip through the intense emotions a family is put through during its darkest hour. This may be his best role to date. From the trailers you know that his character will be out for blood as their daughter was kidnapped, but throughout the film you feel his pain, anger and moral struggles as he deals with this situation. The director does an excellent job of keeping you invested in the film emotionally even through some intensely violent scenes. Its dreary setting provides no comfort, but goes hand and hand with the narrative. This film may not be for those faint of heart but should be a must see for most viewers.