Prisoner's Daughter

This film is basically a showcase for Brian Cox and Kate Beckinsale. If it wasn't for their acting talent, this would have been torture to sit through. The story is basic and the dialouge can feel stilted more often than not. The plot devices used here are also as stale as a day old hot dog. Been there, seen it, got the movie ticket. I would like to mention that the only thing keeping me from rating this a 3 instead of a 2.5 is the ending. It didn't feel natural with the story and felt like a cop out for all the emotion the audience is asked to invest throughout.

Overall, you could do better and you could do worse. This film is very middle of the road entertainment, no matter how talented it's lead actors are. The material just never rises about mediocrity.

2.5 dirtbag dads out of 5.

This was unexpectedly entertaining; I think I can congratulate the film makers on successfully breaking out of the infamous Hollywood comfort zone and for a refreshing change trying to show real-world people dealing with the bad choices they have made and the price it cost their families.

Pros:

• characters we could relate to (at last!)
• well paced and believable story

Cons:

• story a bit old and cliched
• shaky camera (not again!)
• female lead's fake lips on top of quite visible makeup that contradicted her role
• too sugary sometimes

I'm rating it 6 but it's actually a compliment coming from me. Most movies these days I don't even bother to rate and turn off after 10 to 15 minutes of runtime.

... Kate Beckinsale and Brian Cox control-completely the narrative and this movie... a basic uncomplicated story, parts having been told many times before... done very well, it has an obvious ending, and is a film that you're in all probability not going to be watching again, not that it isn't good, for it is

... Kate Beckinsale this year now fifty-years-old and still remains one of the most charming beautiful women in films... she can act the hell out of any part and here along with Brian Cox there are several very powerful scenes together.... prolific in her work, it takes awhile going through reading-her-wiki-bio (Pete Davidson..??)... she's the consummate-professional-actor-star

... enjoy-the film.

I have to admit, I watched this because I fancy Kate Beckinsale so much, and she has never disappointed in her acting in any film I've watched.

With this film, dont expect an all action Hollywood run of the mill action blockbuster, its more of a thoughtful film with beautiful performances from Brian Cox and Kate Beckinsale, among others.

It will make you think about the characters lives, as well as your own, and is a refreshing change from the average fair from Hollywood.

A beautifully acted, well written, well directed little gem of a film, that is such a refreshing change.

Watch this, you won't be disappointed.

Wow this little gem was surprisingly better than expected, especially my going into this with low expectations due to the poor critics reviews. I do understand the negativity, and it all boils down to amateur-quality filmmaking. Experienced director Catherine Hardwicke did a lousy job with this film in so many aspects. It felt like I was watching a B film by a newb amateur director that was made for TV. Hardwicke didn't bring out the best atmosphere in many scenes, nor the urgency or tension where it was required, and she surely failed in directing her cast effectively to bring out the best in her lead actors, but thankfully, they still managed to carry the entire film on their backs. A better director could've made this film stand out from all the rest.

Fairly-newb writer Mark Bacci didn't reinvent the wheel, but still managed to create a heart-warming and gut-wrenching screenplay about family dynamics. The pacing was a little slow, but the 100 min runtime flies by with the easy to follow narrative and the engaging performances. You will catch yourself cheering, smiling, even some laughs, and some tears will be shed along the way. It's a great story, and it was told well.

Beckinsale and Cox, as well as Convery as the young Ezra give outstanding and convincing performances with great chemistry between them. For that matter, all casting and performances were exceptional. Everyone knows Cox is an amazing actor especially from the Succession series, but Beckinsale is the one that really shines in this film because she actually has a role that allows her to show her full range - which impressed me a lot, an not just slicing and dicing vampires as she's know for in the Underworld franchise.

This is by far one of my favorite films this year, it's just too bad a better director wasn't tasked to bring out what this film could've been. It's certainly one of the better films that has heart and soul in it that I've seen in a very long time, especially one that isn't beefed up by Hollywood shoe-shine. It's a must-see from me, and I'll for sure be watching this one again with family and friends. Hopefully K-Beck gets some nominations for her compelling performance. It's a well deserved 9/10 from me.