Cast of Characters:
Keller Dover - Hugh Jackman
Detective Loki - Jake Gyllenhaal
Nancy Birch - Viola Davis
Grace Dover - Maria Bello
Franklin Birch - Terrence Howard
Holly Jones - Melissa Leo
Alex Jones - Paul Dano
Director - Denis Villeneuve
Screenplay - Aaron Guzikowski
Rated R for disturbing violent content including torture and language throughout
Academy Award nominees Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis and Terrence Howard, Maria Bello, Paul Dano and Academy Award winner Melissa Leo star in the crime thriller Prisoners.
On Thanksgiving, the Dover family - Keller (Hugh Jackman), Grace (Maria Bello) and their two children - spend time with their close friends, the Birches - Franklin (Terrence Howard), Nancy (Viola Davis) and their two kids. A great time is had by all up until the moment both families' daughters go missing. They both look all around the neighborhood for them, but are unsuccessful. When the Dovers' oldest boy tells them he, saw them playing on a mysterious RV parked near their house earlier on, they bring the law into this.
That's when Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) shows up. Loki promises both families that he's gonna do everything he can to find their girls. At first he finds a potential lead with Alex Jones (Paul Dano), a young man caught driving an RV similar to the one reported, but it goes nowhere as they can find no evidence against him. Jones has the mind of a ten year old boy and his Aunt Holly (Melissa Leo) reminds Detective Loki that he's quiet, hardly goes anywhere and hasn't done a bad thing a day in his life. Keller remains convinced though that Alex knows more than he's putting on about where the girls are. When Loki tells him the station can only hold him up to 48 hours unless charges are filed, Keller decides it may be best to take matters into his own hands to get Alex to open up.
This certainly isn't a film for everyone. Whether it's the running time of over 150 minutes or the disturbing subject matter, some may object to this. Aside from some tightening up in the editing department where I would've cut back on maybe two or three scenes, this is a taut and gripping child abduction thriller sure to keep the viewer engaged. That is, if you're up for it. When you see a cast such as this you don't expect good things, you expect great things and everyone delivers. Hugh Jackman follows up his Oscar nominated performance in the highly overrated Les Miserables (of which, even I admit, he was one of the film's strengths) with his best performance to date. He's over the top when the moment calls for it, while at the same time knowing when to show restraint. If he hasn't proven to you by now that he can do more than just wield adamantium style claws, this film certainly will. Gyllenhaal gives his best performance since the similarly themed David Fincher masterpiece Zodiac. Viola Davis and Melissa Leo are as always (well... except for Olympus Has Fallen, of course) a strong presence onscreen and Howard, Bello (Welcome back! I've missed you since you decided to detour over into Sandler Land.) and Dano (who has never had a problem appearing like a creep, yet this time plays it with a dose of sympathy) all give some of their best performances in years. We feel for each family as they go through their grief and distress over wondering whether their child is not just okay but still alive while they desperately hang on the word of Loki, who grows more and more impatient every day as lead after lead is shot down. The frustration levels for everyone reach boiling point and it's all portrayed pitch-perfectly by the cast. Along with the stellar cast, Denis Villeneuve's direction and Aaron Guzikowski's smartly written script weave together a story that's complex and maneuvers its way through twists and turns while also touching on topics such as faith, revenge and how far, or I should say how low, a family member is willing to go for their own.
It's not on the level of the aforementioned Zodiac (without a doubt, the best crime thriller of the past 10 years), which even at over two and a half hours had my eyes superglued to the screen. Some tighter editing and trimming the final act just a bit would've made this a better film, but the superb performances alone are enough to make this an experience more than worth watching. Add Villeneuve's direction, Guzikowski's script, Johann Johannsson's tense musical score and the legendary Roger A. Deakins (Nominated for ten Oscars, yet no win. What the hell will it take?!) haunting cinematography to the mix and you have an intensely gripping and unforgettable film. I give Prisoners an A- (★★★½).
REVIEWS COMING LATER NEXT WEEK...
What the Hell Were They Thinking?!
Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week
Top 10 Comedies of All-Time
Don Jon
Rush
This certainly isn't a film for everyone. Whether it's the running time of over 150 minutes or the disturbing subject matter, some may object to this. Aside from some tightening up in the editing department where I would've cut back on maybe two or three scenes, this is a taut and gripping child abduction thriller sure to keep the viewer engaged. That is, if you're up for it. When you see a cast such as this you don't expect good things, you expect great things and everyone delivers. Hugh Jackman follows up his Oscar nominated performance in the highly overrated Les Miserables (of which, even I admit, he was one of the film's strengths) with his best performance to date. He's over the top when the moment calls for it, while at the same time knowing when to show restraint. If he hasn't proven to you by now that he can do more than just wield adamantium style claws, this film certainly will. Gyllenhaal gives his best performance since the similarly themed David Fincher masterpiece Zodiac. Viola Davis and Melissa Leo are as always (well... except for Olympus Has Fallen, of course) a strong presence onscreen and Howard, Bello (Welcome back! I've missed you since you decided to detour over into Sandler Land.) and Dano (who has never had a problem appearing like a creep, yet this time plays it with a dose of sympathy) all give some of their best performances in years. We feel for each family as they go through their grief and distress over wondering whether their child is not just okay but still alive while they desperately hang on the word of Loki, who grows more and more impatient every day as lead after lead is shot down. The frustration levels for everyone reach boiling point and it's all portrayed pitch-perfectly by the cast. Along with the stellar cast, Denis Villeneuve's direction and Aaron Guzikowski's smartly written script weave together a story that's complex and maneuvers its way through twists and turns while also touching on topics such as faith, revenge and how far, or I should say how low, a family member is willing to go for their own.
It's not on the level of the aforementioned Zodiac (without a doubt, the best crime thriller of the past 10 years), which even at over two and a half hours had my eyes superglued to the screen. Some tighter editing and trimming the final act just a bit would've made this a better film, but the superb performances alone are enough to make this an experience more than worth watching. Add Villeneuve's direction, Guzikowski's script, Johann Johannsson's tense musical score and the legendary Roger A. Deakins (Nominated for ten Oscars, yet no win. What the hell will it take?!) haunting cinematography to the mix and you have an intensely gripping and unforgettable film. I give Prisoners an A- (★★★½).
REVIEWS COMING LATER NEXT WEEK...
What the Hell Were They Thinking?!
Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week
Top 10 Comedies of All-Time
Don Jon
Rush
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