Prisoners

Really intense and well done thriller. One of the few in the last years with great performances by Jackman, Gyllenhaal and Dano.

It also has some content to chew. I really enjoyed watching it.

Certainly Villenueve's most accessible film, but still a very good one.

Final rating:½ - I strongly recommend you make the time.

What a powerful film and what a great acting. I just couldn't help rewinding various scenes throughout, especially when Jackman's character showed anger and frustration for either his child being abducted or having what he thought was the culprit being tortured, although getting nowhere. Definitely a must for Mystery/Drama.

8/10

MUST SEE MOVIES BEFORE YOU DIE, another masterpiece by Hugh Jackman, surprising plot-twist!!

Be prepared for the worst, but hope for the best. Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst.

Prisoners is directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Aaron Guzikowski. It stars Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Terence Howard, Maria Bello, Melissa Leo and Paul Dano. Music is by Jóhann Jóhannsson and cinematography by Roger Deakins.

When Keller Dover's (Jackman) daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands...

At first glance of the plot synopis, one could be forgiven for thinking this is yet another revenge thriller filled out by police procedural side-bars. How pleasant to find that Prisoners has more to offer than a simple who is the criminal? And just how far will a vengeful father go to ...

This heavy film is not for everyone but for those that enjoy suspenseful crime cinema, this is one of the absolute best.

A crime thriller that brilliantly manages its slow pace to create the same dread the characters feel in the hearts of the audience. Every passing second steals the parents' hope away that they could ever find their children alive. Everything about this movie emphasizes the story's emotion, from the acting and muted color tones to the sets and directing.

Prisoners is a carefully constructed labyrinth, deceptively simple and very clever. The material was nothing new even when the film was released, but director Denis Villeneuve (pre-Dune) and screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski work a few unexpected twists and turns into their maze to keep us on our toes. The key element, however, is Hugh Jackmans career-best performance as Keller Dover, a father whose patience for police work quickly runs thin when Detective Loki (the always effective Jake Gyllenhaal) fails to find Dovers kidnapped little daughter.

It will surprise no one that Dover decides to take the law into his own hands, recruiting Franklin Birch (Terrence Howard), his best friend whose daughter has also gone missing, to kidnap the only s...

Prisoners is a largely generic revenge / suspense / mystery "they have my kid" tale with a predictable plot that gives itself away too early. No attempt at realism, this is Scooby-Doo style investigation - lie detectors are treated seriously, "bad guys" are largely 1-dimensional with poorly explained motives designed to surprise rather than give insight, etc.

It tries to make up for this in a few ways: a) bump up the intensity of scenes (comes across forced and awkward), b) add extra violence and dark semi-religious symbolism (seems out of place and largely meaningless), and most importantly c) maintain an air of mystery by throwing left-field plot points at you every 3-5 minutes to keep your attention.

If you carefully note the clue...

If proof were needed of the versatility of both Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal then this film has to be it. Jackman delivers what can only be described as a visceral performance here as Keller (HJ) and his family prepare to celebrate Christmas. Right from the start, we sense theirs a bleak and chilly town, but the family atmosphere as daughter Anna (Erin Gerasimovich) and her best friend Joy (Kyla-Drew) are amongst friends enjoying their day. As times ticks on, though, he notices that the girls have gone AWOL. No amount of yelling or local searching is helping so the police are duly called in. Thats the purview of Loki (JG) who has unorthodox methods (and tattoos) and who not only has to try to find the girls but contain the increasingly ...