by Abhishek Panikkar
Hugh Jackman stars as Keller Dover, a protective, religious and strict father with a strong belief in being prepared for any circumstance. When Dover’s daughter and her friend go missing, a mysterious hotshot detective Loki played by Jake Gyllenhaal is assigned to the case. A creepy mentally handicapped Alex Jones played by Paul Dano is found near the scene with no evidence, leaving the police clueless; Keller decides to take matters into his own hands. The film is directed by upcoming critically acclaimed director Dennis Villeneuve and written by Aaron Guzikowski in his Hollywood breakthrough. Special mention has to be given to the outstanding cinematography by 10-time Oscar nominee Roger Deakins.
Dover is a typical hardworking father and husband of a middle class family who visit their neighbours Franklin and Nancy Birch played by Terrance Howard and Viola Davis for Thanksgiving. Their young daughters go out to play and mysteriously disappear. Alex Jones is the only suspect but according to the police his IQ is that of a 10 year old and he couldn’t have possibly committed the crime. Days pass with the police running out of ideas and the families struggle to understand and cope with their loss. Dover is convinced that Jones is responsible and that he knows where the girls are and so proceeds to abduct and torture the information out of him.
Dover is a typical hardworking father and husband of a middle class family who visit their neighbours Franklin and Nancy Birch played by Terrance Howard and Viola Davis for Thanksgiving. Their young daughters go out to play and mysteriously disappear. Alex Jones is the only suspect but according to the police his IQ is that of a 10 year old and he couldn’t have possibly committed the crime. Days pass with the police running out of ideas and the families struggle to understand and cope with their loss. Dover is convinced that Jones is responsible and that he knows where the girls are and so proceeds to abduct and torture the information out of him.
The film is beautifully made; it enthralls you from the very beginning till the end. Unlike typical modern mystery thrillers where you know how the movie ends before it even begins, Prisoners keeps you guessing throughout the 150 minute run-time. The movie is dark and violent, filled with emotionally gripping as well as disturbing scenes. Villeneuve impressively creates an atmosphere that compliments the superb script that brings your morals into question along with the movie being riddled with religious themes. Even though the film is long, the editing by Joel Cox and Gary Roach is excellent and propels the movie at a decent pace which works, while the cinematography and lighting is absolutely breathtaking. The music adds suspense to the scenes and the hopelessness and despair the characters go through.
In term of acting, Jackman definitely is on the rise with his solid performance. His rage and anguish throughout the film keeps you emotionally involved. Gyllenhaal’s mysterious tattooed character isn’t given much of back story and is introduced eating alone on Thanksgiving at a roadside diner but his commitment and dedication to solving the case and finding the girls is apparent even when all hope seems lost. He executes his role perfectly and I personally enjoy his performances as a detective in his previous movies but this one has to be the best of the lot. Paul Dano is at his creepy best, you’re never sure if he’s a tremendous deceiver or a victim like everyone else.
The film leads you to form your own opinions, suspicions and ideas of who took the girls and where they are. As a mystery thriller this movie has it all - suspense, violence, drama and shock value. All the characters in the film are prisoners in one way or another; none of them are free because of the past and the choices of others. Prisoners is one of the best films of the year and is a must see for fans of the mystery thriller genre. I rate it at 9/10.
In term of acting, Jackman definitely is on the rise with his solid performance. His rage and anguish throughout the film keeps you emotionally involved. Gyllenhaal’s mysterious tattooed character isn’t given much of back story and is introduced eating alone on Thanksgiving at a roadside diner but his commitment and dedication to solving the case and finding the girls is apparent even when all hope seems lost. He executes his role perfectly and I personally enjoy his performances as a detective in his previous movies but this one has to be the best of the lot. Paul Dano is at his creepy best, you’re never sure if he’s a tremendous deceiver or a victim like everyone else.
The film leads you to form your own opinions, suspicions and ideas of who took the girls and where they are. As a mystery thriller this movie has it all - suspense, violence, drama and shock value. All the characters in the film are prisoners in one way or another; none of them are free because of the past and the choices of others. Prisoners is one of the best films of the year and is a must see for fans of the mystery thriller genre. I rate it at 9/10.