There is an answer to every question, but sometimes they aren’t easy. Asking a parent what they would do if something happened to their child is one of them. I am not a parent, but I am going to guess every mother and father would do anything to protect their children. However, when that is put to the test, even they do not know how far they are willing to go. On the other hand, maybe they do and it frightens the hell out of them. Prisoners depicts this in a hauntingly, devastating way in which no one, including the characters and the viewers, will leave unscathed. It is a morally complex tale told with great intensity and mystery, resulting in a film of astounding impact.
Hugh Jackman gives a mesmerizing performance as Keller Dover, a blue-collar family man who “prays for the best and prepares for the worst.” But nothing would prepare him for what was about to happen to him and his family. Keller brings his wife (Maria Bello) and kids over for a Thanksgiving dinner with the Birch family (Terrence Howard and Viola Davis), their neighbors and closest friends, at their home. Everything is fine until Keller’s daughter Anna wants to take Birch’s youngest daughter Joy back to their house. It is not far and should be okay. But once the Dovers get back and realize Anna’s brother didn’t go with them and they aren’t at the house, they begin to worry but do not panic. Not yet. Both families are out in the rain looking and yelling for the girls and they are nowhere to be found. In this moment, a parent’s worst nightmare sets in: their child has disappeared.
Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is put in charge of the investigation and there is not a case he has not solved. There is no doubt he will find the two girls if he is allowed to do his job, but Keller makes it more and more difficult for that to happen. Loki’s first suspect is a mentally challenged guy named Alex (Paul Dano) who simply does not seem to be capable of snatching one girl much less two. However, he is the driver of a shady-looking RV which was spotted on the day of the girls’ appearance close to their house. Yet once the vehicle comes up clean, Loki cannot keep Alex in custody so he has to let him go. Keller is furious and his father’s instincts kick in and demands justice.
Therefore, he takes matters in to his own hands and kidnaps Alex outside of his Aunt’s (a quietly creepy Melissa Leo) house. He takes him to an old, abandoned apartment building and by any means necessary, he will do whatever he has to do to find out where Anna and Joy are. Keller knows with each day that passes, the chance of his daughter coming home begins to fade. Now I won’t dive any deeper in to the story because you must see the mystery unfold for yourself and witness it with your own eyes. But I will say if you think the trailers give away everything, you are sadly mistaken. There are things you will not see coming. Some dark twists and turns you will not anticipate.
There is not one performance in Prisoners that is not gripping yet heartbreaking at the same time. Dano plays Alex with such conviction and courage. He is a fragile character who has a troubling past. And no matter how much punishment he endures, he still is unable to comprehend what kind of situation he is in and what, if anything, he has done wrong. As Alex’s aunt, Leo is not in a lot of scenes, but those she is in, she commands. Her tame performance becomes exceptional due to the unnerving feeling you get when she is onscreen.
Bello and Davis play the mothers of the missing girls and demonstrate the understandably shocking effect such an event can have on a woman. Physically and emotionally, they begin to deteriorate and forget who they were before. That goes for everyone in both families for that matter. The only thing that suffers is these two tremendous actresses become limited once their characters are crippled by the kidnapping. They do not have the freedom like the guys do. But even Howard, who is the only one who says out loud what they’re doing is not right, is downgraded to Jackson’s sidekick in the film.
In the end, it is Jackman and Gyllenhaal who give the most astonishing, powerhouse performances in the film. Gyllenhaal plays a detective who is obsessed, which is why he has solved every case up to this point. At the same time, it’s the reason he finds himself frustrated and physically exhausted after every trail leads to a dead end. Of course, it is not helping when Keller blames him for everything and tells him how to do his job. Gyllenhaal has grown up in film and has become a true actor who is fearless in his roles. He is not afraid to dig deep and go in to the dark corners of his character’s mind. By playing Loki, he is a man who has seen too much and the proof is in his eyes.
The Hugh Jackman in Prisoners will make you forget the Jackman who can make blades come out of his knuckles. His portrayal is terrifyingly intense. His commitment to his daughter causes him to become unglued and it is unlike anything you have ever seen from him before. From the X-Men/Wolverine movies to Les Miserables to this, Jackman has definitely shown his diversity as an actor and deserves the attention he is receiving. I will be very disappointed if he is not at least nominated come awards season.
Keller is a great husband and caring father, and we see that at the beginning of the film. Once his daughter goes missing, he becomes a relentless monster who goes off the deep end. There is no line he won’t cross in order to get his daughter back. Whatever the consequences may be, he is ready for them. As a small warning, there are some scenes that are brutal and tough to watch. The more desperate Keller gets for answers, the more we find ourselves asking “Has he gone too far?” But within the same breath we have to ask “How far would we go if put in the same situation?” The truth is none of us know. I guarantee Keller never saw himself doing the things he ended up doing. It is not until it happens to you when you realize what you are really capable of. This is what makes Prisoners stick and stay with you. Unimaginable events such as this one can make good people do awful things.
No matter how chilling and violent this film is, there is no denying how beautifully well-crafted it is due to the amazing direction of Denis Villeneuve. Between having a tight, intelligent script and a consistently steady, suspenseful pace, Prisoners never lets you rest easy or feel halfway comfortable. Villeneuve takes his precious time building characters and revealing their darker sides. With every passing minute (and the movie is over 150 minutes), the film’s grip gets stronger and tighter all the way up to its final scene. The director’s execution is remarkable, causing the film to require attention from its audience, but there are rewards that come along with doing so. Piece by piece, there is an uncovering of a bigger, more disturbing film that I cannot wait to watch again just so I can find some things I missed the first time around. It is all in the details.
Prisoners makes us think about what kind of people we can become. Perhaps we believe we are the civilized ones or it’s just in our minds and we are afraid to be honest with ourselves. The film presents a discomforting connection between the criminal and the victim. We are all guilty on some level of letting someone else affect the way we live or think. It is human nature. Prisoners is evidence of what happens when we reach our breaking point and lose all control.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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