Prisoners (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Ahh, September -- that cinematic time of the year when every week, you're looking for the next prestige film, and not some superhero monstrosity or frenetic kiddie flick. This 3rd weekend of September 2013 brings us 'Prisoners', a lengthy, somber, but entirely riveting whodunit helmed by Canadian director Denis Villenueve (Incendies). Now, most Hollywood whodunits flake out and/or underwhelm. But this whodunit works (despite a few plot holes), not just because of the director's masterful vision, superb performances, & for Roger Deakins' atmospheric cinematography, but also because it's interested in more than just figuring out the puzzle of who committed the crime. Aaron Gruzikowski's script also explores such issues as guilt, innocence, torture, desperation, the impotence of the law, as well as faith.
The film opens innocently enough by introducing us to The Dover family, led by Keller & Grace (Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello), who are walking through their drizzly Pennsylvania neighborhood to visit The Birch family, led by Franklin & Nancy (Terrence Howard, Viola Davis) for Thanksgiving festivities. After a boisterous dinner, as the adults are talking & the 2 older kids are watching TV, the 2 young girls - Anna Dover & Joy Birch - pop outside to play. Some time passes & they don't come back to the house. At 1st, no one is too upset, but after an unsuccessful search of the neighborhood, the day turns into a nightmare for the 2 families and they call the police. Enter Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), a lonely cop with a reputation for solving every case he takes on. Early clues point to taciturn suspect Alex Jones (Paul Dano), but it turns out that he has the IQ of a 10 yr. old & may not have the mental aptitude to orchestrate such an abduction.
Nevertheless, circumstantial evidence points to Alex; and a grief-stricken Keller decides that if the police can't/won't get a confession, then he'll take justice into his own vengeful hands. The plot is chock full of fragmented clues, unanswered questions, & creepy twists. Alex whispers something potentially incriminating to Keller during an encounter ... or was it all in Keller's mind? Who lives in the house where the abduction took place, & do they have anything to do with it? Why is an alcoholic priest hiding a corpse in his basement? Who is the mysterious man at the candlelight vigil, & why did he run? What do mazes, pigs blood, & snakes have to do with the abduction, if anything at all? And what does the role of God have in all this? The script ties all of these elements together exceedingly well.
Hugh Jackman is terrifying as the anguished father who feels he has failed to protect his family & is hell bent on finding Anna. There's little nuance to the role, but Jackman brings such steely ferocity ... he makes you wonder just how far YOU would go to find your child if in the same situation. Jake Gyllenhaal is exceptional as the tenacious, world-weary detective who blinks repeatedly when frustrated. Sure, he wants to keep his record perfect, but he also gets emotionally invested in this case. While Jackman rages on, Gyllenhaal anchors the film with an outward calm that hides his own inner angst. Maria Bello oozes authenticity as the mother who can't cope with anything in the wake of her missing child; fading away into a haze of prescription drugs to numb her inner-pain & make her sleep away the days.
Paul Dano is wonderfully creepy, yet also oddly sympathetic as the prime suspect. Viola Davis & Terrence Howard are effective as the despairing parents of the other girl who is abducted; and who are conflicted about Keller's vigilante approach to their case. Also good is Melissa Leo as Alex's mousey backwoods aunt; a woman with her own guarded secrets. And perhaps the most insistent character in 'Prisoners' is the ever-present grey weather. With clouds as thick as soup & locales as rain-slickened as they can be ... Roger Deakins' camera lensing is as gloomy, ominous, & menacing as the plot. I also must mention an incredibly filmed car scene in which an injured character speeds through dizzying neon-lit streets to get a child to the nearest hospital. My heart was racing throughout.
As satisfying as I found 'Prisoners' to be (as a juicy mystery), the touchy subject matter - child abduction/possible child murder - may make viewers uncomfortable. 'Prisoners' is a dark, dark movie; reminiscent of 1995's Se7en or 2007's Zodiac. It doesn't shy away from taking on uncomfortable issues or generating strong emotional responses from us. The film asks us: how far would we go in Hugh Jackman's shoes? Would we trust in Jake Gyllenhaals's expert judgments & soothing calm? Or would we respond with grisly retribution? I believe Prisoners is titled as such because every single character is in their own personal prison. Each character has a demon to face & overcome. I was thoroughly engrossed in this film from its 1st frame until it's scintillatingly clipped final moment.
The film opens innocently enough by introducing us to The Dover family, led by Keller & Grace (Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello), who are walking through their drizzly Pennsylvania neighborhood to visit The Birch family, led by Franklin & Nancy (Terrence Howard, Viola Davis) for Thanksgiving festivities. After a boisterous dinner, as the adults are talking & the 2 older kids are watching TV, the 2 young girls - Anna Dover & Joy Birch - pop outside to play. Some time passes & they don't come back to the house. At 1st, no one is too upset, but after an unsuccessful search of the neighborhood, the day turns into a nightmare for the 2 families and they call the police. Enter Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), a lonely cop with a reputation for solving every case he takes on. Early clues point to taciturn suspect Alex Jones (Paul Dano), but it turns out that he has the IQ of a 10 yr. old & may not have the mental aptitude to orchestrate such an abduction.
Nevertheless, circumstantial evidence points to Alex; and a grief-stricken Keller decides that if the police can't/won't get a confession, then he'll take justice into his own vengeful hands. The plot is chock full of fragmented clues, unanswered questions, & creepy twists. Alex whispers something potentially incriminating to Keller during an encounter ... or was it all in Keller's mind? Who lives in the house where the abduction took place, & do they have anything to do with it? Why is an alcoholic priest hiding a corpse in his basement? Who is the mysterious man at the candlelight vigil, & why did he run? What do mazes, pigs blood, & snakes have to do with the abduction, if anything at all? And what does the role of God have in all this? The script ties all of these elements together exceedingly well.
Hugh Jackman is terrifying as the anguished father who feels he has failed to protect his family & is hell bent on finding Anna. There's little nuance to the role, but Jackman brings such steely ferocity ... he makes you wonder just how far YOU would go to find your child if in the same situation. Jake Gyllenhaal is exceptional as the tenacious, world-weary detective who blinks repeatedly when frustrated. Sure, he wants to keep his record perfect, but he also gets emotionally invested in this case. While Jackman rages on, Gyllenhaal anchors the film with an outward calm that hides his own inner angst. Maria Bello oozes authenticity as the mother who can't cope with anything in the wake of her missing child; fading away into a haze of prescription drugs to numb her inner-pain & make her sleep away the days.
Paul Dano is wonderfully creepy, yet also oddly sympathetic as the prime suspect. Viola Davis & Terrence Howard are effective as the despairing parents of the other girl who is abducted; and who are conflicted about Keller's vigilante approach to their case. Also good is Melissa Leo as Alex's mousey backwoods aunt; a woman with her own guarded secrets. And perhaps the most insistent character in 'Prisoners' is the ever-present grey weather. With clouds as thick as soup & locales as rain-slickened as they can be ... Roger Deakins' camera lensing is as gloomy, ominous, & menacing as the plot. I also must mention an incredibly filmed car scene in which an injured character speeds through dizzying neon-lit streets to get a child to the nearest hospital. My heart was racing throughout.
As satisfying as I found 'Prisoners' to be (as a juicy mystery), the touchy subject matter - child abduction/possible child murder - may make viewers uncomfortable. 'Prisoners' is a dark, dark movie; reminiscent of 1995's Se7en or 2007's Zodiac. It doesn't shy away from taking on uncomfortable issues or generating strong emotional responses from us. The film asks us: how far would we go in Hugh Jackman's shoes? Would we trust in Jake Gyllenhaals's expert judgments & soothing calm? Or would we respond with grisly retribution? I believe Prisoners is titled as such because every single character is in their own personal prison. Each character has a demon to face & overcome. I was thoroughly engrossed in this film from its 1st frame until it's scintillatingly clipped final moment.