Prisoners (2013)

“Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst.” – Kelly Dover

Number of Times Seen – 1 (13 Nov 2013)

Brief Synopsis – During a family Thanksgiving dinner party, two young girls go missing and when the police fail to find them, one of the fathers takes matters into his own hands.

My Take on it – I was interested in seeing this movie ever since I saw the trailer posted by Brock at the beginning of the summer and have now finally had that chance.

This movie was very gripping and was able to evoke a roller-coaster of emotions all within a tightly wound 2 and half hours.

I think this movie works well due to the fact that it’s length is longer than most mysteries which are usually under 2 hours and therefore require the writers to divulge early on who did it in order to make the movie satisfying.  This movie uses the extra time to draw out the plot and to keep the viewer guessing as to what really is going on.

The acting here is mostly carried by a truly amazing performance by Hugh Jackman, who has recently shown in Les Miserables (2012) how good of an actor he really can be.  As the father of one of the missing girls, we can truly feel his pain and despair and want to agree with everything he chooses to do to find his daughter no matter the cost or consequences.

In addition to Jackman, the cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, Melissa Leo and Terrance Howard.  There all are good here, but their performances were nowhere near the level of Jackman.

One of the best thrillers I’ve seen in a long time.

Bottom Line – Great thriller. Very emotional on many levels and it’s amazing how this movie can invoke so many differing emotions. Highly Recommended!

Rating – Oscar Worthy