Prisoners [2013] – Review
When Keller Dover’s daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
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Prisoners offers a strong slow paced thriller that will have you guessing throughout the whole movie. It’s complicated mystery story line is one that offers much suspense and many thrills. New director Denis Villeneuve is not afraid to placing his audience in deep despair and horror while also challenging our thoughts on morality. Hugh Jackman has one of his strongest performance as the father would go to great lengths to find his daughter. At almost 2 hours and 30 minutes, it is a long drawn out story that could of use a few cuts to improve it’s pacing, but I believe the director made it this way on purpose. Prisoners is an absorbing film experience and is something we hope to never have to experience ourselves.
7 out of 10 Stars “Your child is missing. Every second counts. How far would you go?”
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(some spoilers ahead – but won’t spoil the mystery)
Highlights –
Mystery and Tone – The story is weaved with so much complexity, I would be surprise if you see all the connections. The film creates an atmosphere that is similar to what I experienced while watching silence of the lambs.
Hugh Jackman – Hugh Jackson gives a strong performance especially in one scene where he has a total meltdown pleading with Jake Gyllenhaal’s character to find his daughter and stop following him. It’s a very aggressive and emotion role that
Relating to the real world – Movies that make you think and challenge your own beliefs are really great movie experiences. I would probably act in the same nature as Hugh Jackman, doing anything I can to save my daughter even if it means bending the rules of morality. It’s also crazy to think that there are real people out there who are in real life situations similar to this film.
Problems –
It’s a long movie – The movie is about 2hrs and 30minutes. The audience was engaged into the movie, but I found some members of the audience struggling to make it through to the end.
The end – The ending had the audience in a little in an uproar, but reading from a previous book review of Prisioners, it’s how exactly the book ends. It’s just hard to take in after a long movie to just happen the way it does. You’ll understand after you see the movie.
Scene Screened 