If you’ve haven’t seen the trailer, you should know that this has nothing to do with jail. So, what is it all about then? (So glad you asked). It starts off with a kidnapping and then…well, that’s not even the worst thing that happens. (Yes, that’s right.)
Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) investigates the kidnapping of two young girls while the father (Hugh Jackman) of one of the girls decides to take matters into his own hands.
The difficulty in making a movie that kicks off with abduction and lasts two and a half hours is with keeping the audience engaged as well as coming up with unpredictable plot points. Director Denis Villeneuve and screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski accomplishes this very task with impeccable timing. Like Detective Loki, we are slowly being fed clues. When each clue reveals itself, something else happens in the story to draw our attention elsewhere only to be shocked later on when those clues start to connect and then with the final result. Villeneuve’s direction for ‘Prisoners’ is one that is felt throughout this entire movie as he unravels new developments not only in the investigation and in the plot, but also in each character.
With the majority of the main cast having been nominated for an Academy Award beforehand, audiences should expect nothing less than exceptional from each actor and that is exactly what we get, especially from Jackman and Gyllenhaal. At the realization of his daughter’s disappearance, Dover’s demeanor rapidly changes and sinks to astonishing lows. Jackman nails his role as a father desperate to find his daughter and that desperation eventually shifts to severe irrationality and, as a result, clouds any good judgment left turning him into a monster not quite at the level of his daughter’s captor, but close enough to where it becomes dangerously uncomfortable (and just wrong). Jackman’s performance will have viewers question whether or not circumstances have made Dover this way or if he has always been this way deep down inside. Gyllenhaal is, at many times during the film, Jackman’s equal, playing a man who’s used to finding answers slowly start to despair and struggle with Dover’s aggravating persistence. While his determination and focus remains, a few scenes would suggest that his mental and emotional state is otherwise, but these still confirm Gyllenhaal’s ability to make a character believable and let us relate to his frustrations and, eventually, his obsession.
With ‘Prisoners’ focusing largely on the aforementioned characters, the supporting roles are not to go unnoticed. The mothers in both Maria Bello and Viola Davis’s roles, although slightly different from the way they are both handled, are the driving force for audiences to root for nothing but safe returns for the two girls. Another thing that this film’s script does well is in not making the characters point the blame toward the other family. Franklin Birch (Terrence Howard), serving as the voice of reason for some of the film is as supportive as he can be to Jackman’s damaged Dover.
The ending is part of the fun in truly enjoying this film (however dark it is). Although understandable as to why it may anger some viewers, it’s definitely a conclusion that ends in the perfect place for two reasons: 1) to keep audiences interested even after the end credits and 2) to prevent the movie from being dragged out and losing its momentum and intrigue.
Additionally, audiences may leave with many questions, especially in a subplot involving snakes and the hole in the motivation behind abducting the girls. Even though the reasoning is something one would expect from this violently crazed person, the script logic justifying such psychotic motivations is a little weak.
Despite some flaws, ‘Prisoners’ is a steadily paced thriller that manages to keep its audiences wanting more even after its conclusion. It has definitely set the bar high for movies this fall as its outstanding script, subtle intensity, solid, yet dark plot, and incredible cast will be tough to match.

Jim’s Rating: 9.25/10