Review - Prisoners

At the Theater - "Prisoners" - Although a sizable plot hole (quite literally a hole) involving the film's conclusion rattles an otherwise solid structure, it's not nearly enough to drop this Drama/Thriller hybrid down from being one of the best films of 2013. Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine) is excellent as the desperate Father of an abducted child while Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko), as the Detective on the case, further cements his status as one of Hollywood's most talented, younger leading men.  A nerve-wracking sequence late in the film had multiple members of the audience, including myself, squirming in their seats while wringing their hands. The subject matter is indeed bleak, yet those who may be mulling over whether they should skip this in theaters for fears of a "downer" ending may want to reconsider.

Hugh Jackman and Maria Bello (A History Of Violence) portray "Keller" and "Grace Dover" while Terrence Howard (Crash) and Viola Davis (The Help) play "Franklin" and "Nancy Birch" - the neighboring couples and their respective families are celebrating a cozy Thanksgiving Day together when a moment of neglected supervision results in the disappearance of their two youngest children, "Anna Dover" (Erin Gerasimovitch) and "Joy Birch" (Kyla Drew Simmons). After a person of interest whose vehicle was witnessed at the scene and time of the crime (Paul Dano) is taken into custody, interrogated and subsequently released for lack of evidence, an enraged Keller, convinced that the man knows more than he's letting on, takes it upon himself to get answers from the individual.

Jackman's Keller marks what I believe to be the strongest performance of the Aussie's acting career- he's thoroughly convincing as the construction worker with survivalist notions whose world is thrown into chaos.  Facing every parent's worst nightmare, Keller is the audience's emotional vessel.  Jackman expertly conveys the unrelenting torment of helplessness, fearing the worst with each passing hour not knowing what horrors his child may be experiencing.  His character is overwhelmed with frustration towards the seemingly glacial movements of the local authorities and ultimately consumed with anger when their only suspect is discharged.  With the opportunity presenting itself and consequences be damned, Keller captures the recently released prime suspect and resorts to torturing the simple-minded, tight-lipped fellow.  Most will find themselves looking inwards, wondering if they could put aside their humanity to protect or possibly save a loved one.

Jake Gyllenhaal's exceptional turn as the slick Detective "David Loki" is also a bit of an oddity- there's precious little back story to set up his character, though it's a highly memorable performance.  Obviously transplanted from some unnamed big city into the rural Pennsylvania setting, he's a heavily tattooed obsessive sort who is prone to excessive blinking- most audience members will find themselves suspicious of him in the early going only to be cheering him on by film's end. Others may question why his Detective, advertised as having a stellar record, takes such a protracted amount of time to make a crucial connection to a glaringly obvious clue presented earlier in the narrative...

Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine) might be a helluva guy off-screen, but he'll make a killing playing creeps for the rest of his career- his prime suspect, "Alex Jones", is a greasy ball of strange that's frustratingly silent for the vast duration of the film.  Those questioning his possible guilt or innocence may want to carefully examine the finer details of the nature vs nurture debate... 

Terrance Howard is once again very likable in a limited role as Franklin while Viola Davis is only given one scene in which to shine as Nancy.  The couple obviously represent the more pacifist-minded members of society- initially horrified with Keller's extreme actions, the duo ultimately find themselves content to allow him to work in hopes of possibly retrieving information concerning their missing child.  I wish there had been more attention given to both their characters, perhaps editing casualties of  a decidedly hefty run-time (153 minutes).

Maria Bello's devastated Grace disappears from most of the film, isolating herself in a barbiturate haze in an attempt to cope with matters.  Though given little to do, she's fine in the scenes in which she's featured.

I'm probably in the minority in believing that Melissa Leo's (The Fighter) pivotal role as the Aunt of the prime suspect is hampered by aged makeup- her appearance just didn't quite sit right with me and I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she was miscast.  It's a solid performance, though I found myself wondering who may have been more age-appropriate for the part.

David Dastmalchian (The Dark Knight), a Paul Dano lookalike, puts in effectively creepy work as a second person of interest with a fascination for mazes and creatures of the slitherin' kind, while Wayne Duvall (O, Brother Where Art Thou?) provides the inept local police captain pulled from a lesser film.

Dylan Minnette (Let Me In) and Zoe Borde (BET's Reed Between The Lines) portray the two missing girl's teenaged siblings, "Ralph Dover" and "Eliza Birch", respectively.  Len Cariou (1408) rounds out the notable cast as a disgraced priest with a secret in his basement...

My chief complaint against Prisoners, which I'm sure most discerning viewers will also question, would involve the lack of an explanation concerning why a K-9 unit wasn't used on a suspects property. It's an egregious lapse in logic and there's just no way around that.

That blemish aside, Director Denis Villeneuve (Incendies) and Screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski craft an absorbing tale with a cold, appropriately grim tone reminiscent of films such as Gone Baby Gone,  Mystic River, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011), Kiss The Girls, and Zodiac. This is one of the best filmed movies of the last few years, courtesy of Oscar-winning DOP Roger Deakins, and features a highly effective original score. Cinephiles will certainly recognize elements of  Director George Sluzier's 1988 film The Vanishing, along with his 1993 Americanized remake of the same title.   

The first two acts of Prisoners is a riveting dual character study of two men fracturing under the pressure and urgency of the deadly-serious situation at hand while the last act feels more like a conclusion to a previously unreleased episode of Chris Carter's Millennium. Expect a climactic, white-knuckle confrontation between good and evil that's capped off with a refreshingly ambiguous ending.

Highly Recommended

8.5 out of 10