REVIEW #139 Prisoners (2013)

When the police take too long to search for two missing young girls, Keller Dover takes on a search of his own which leads him closer to the truth but it also puts himself in danger in the process. This crime thriller is directed by Dennis Villeneuve. 

CAST & THE ACTING 

The cast is simply brilliant, Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal are the two leads. Jackman plays Keller Dover the father to one of the missing girls and Gyllenhaal plays the detective assigned to finding them. Both deliver fantastic performances, showing how the incident is effecting two people from completely different perspectives. Gyllenhaal impressed me the most, there were subtle characterisations that told the audience so much about Detective Loki. For example little facial ticks such as a heavy blink every so often, some might miss it but it actually told me that he was so dedicated to his work and it was more frequent the further the case got ahold of him and the more stressed he became. Paul Dano played Alex Jones and his performance was excellent too, I really couldn’t make out what his involvement was and that confusion was because of his great performance. I also want to mention Maria Bello who played Kellers wife, although she had a smaller role, she really captured the essence of a mother who had just lost a child. 

PLOT & THE STORYLINE 

I want to start by saying it is a good storyline, it’s gripping and it really does have the audience on the edge of their seats the entire time. It has you constantly guessing who was behind the abduction which is something I really enjoy. Is it an original storyline? No, we’ve seen this done hundreds of times before! It is a simple storyline but it was executed brilliantly by Dennis Villeneuve and made into a great film via the acting and cinematography. The main focus in regards to the character development was clearly on Detective Loki and Keller Dover, with the emphasis on how both men were slowly edging closer to a psychotic break, the longer the case went on. Two incidents highlighted this, the fact Dover takes Alex Jones and tortured him and then how the Detective beats on the suspect that ultimately leads to that suspects death. It was a nice way to depict the mental toll something like this has on a parent and the detective responsible for the case. 

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

Dennis Villeneuve directing and Roger Deakins on the cinematography, that combination alone will tell you that you’re about to watch a visually stunning film and Prisoners certainly was. There was a strong use of silhouettes in the film which worked well, creating some great cinematic shots. I have mentioned in previous reviews that I am a huge fan of films set in woodland areas, surrounded by nature, it provides beautifully organic scenes that really impress me. This film ticked that box, I loved one of the opening shots where Dover and his son are hunting, it looked fantastic. The heavy rain and dark tones were symbolic of the storyline and utilisation of pathetic fallacy to represent the characters emotions. So the cinematography really impressed me!

OVERALL (8.7/10)

I have seen a lot of hype for this film and I must admit I am rather late to watching it but I am so glad I did. The acting is brilliant and it’s some of the best work I’ve seen from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. The storyline is one we have seen hundreds of times before but it still gets the audience on the edge of their seats, desperate to find out who is behind the abductions. So it serves its purpose. Villeneuve and Roger Deakins created a visually stunning film, making the cinematography one of the strongest elements of Prisoners. I would absolutely recommend watching this if you haven’t already, it’s currently on Netflix in the UK.

Thanks for reading.

Callan