Prisoners

I just came back from the theater and to be honest I went into this movie with very low expectation! But WOW did it prove me wrong. The film left me on the edge of my seat all the time, one could argue things were slow sometimes but it only adds to the beauty of the big picture.

Performance are top notch and if it was for me I would give Jackman his very deserved Oscar for this amazing performance, of course all the other performances were really great also but Hugh's stands out for me.

This movie is worth your time, and I'm sure by the end of it you'll keep talking about it with your friends, for me that is a success stamp if the movie can keep my mind busy all the time.

This is not your feel-good movie. This is a perfectly paced thriller which I haven't seen anything like it in a very long time. For me this was a totally new experience as I usually go for lighter movies in the cinema, but after this movie I will go out of my comfort-zone in movies more often to find masterpieces like this one.

Hugh Jackman takes you on a trip through the intense emotions a family is put through during its darkest hour. This may be his best role to date. From the trailers you know that his character will be out for blood as their daughter was kidnapped, but throughout the film you feel his pain, anger and moral struggles as he deals with this situation. The director does an excellent job of keeping you invested in the film emotionally even through some intensely violent scenes. Its dreary setting provides no comfort, but goes hand and hand with the narrative. This film may not be for those faint of heart but should be a must see for most viewers.

This was one intense movie-going experience. Throughout the entire running time of the movie, the suspense never lets up.

The director masterfully weaves the haunting atmosphere, and I was at the edge of my seat. The plot is a wonderful puzzle, unraveling slowly to reveal hidden layers of depth and complexity. The acting was wonderful, emotional and nuanced, with some unforgettable moments (The two leads - Gyllenhaal and Jackman - give their career best performances, but the biggest achievement in my opinion is Paul Dano's). The musical score contributes to a sense of dread, as well as the rich sound design and the chilly color palette of the breathtaking cinematography.

All those parts add up to a rare, gut-wrenching, dark and fascinating masterpiece - the kind that lingers with you long after the credits roll.

Prisoners (2013)

**** (out of 4)

Incredibly well-made and intense mystery about two little girls who go missing and the detective (Jake Gyllenhaal) put on the case to find them. When the original suspect (Paul Dano) is let go, one of the girl's father (Hugh Jackman) decides to take justice in his own hands. I really had high hopes going into PRISONERS and my expectations for a great film were met but I must admit that it wasn't anywhere near the type of great film I expected. A lot of thrillers these days are limited on talk and emotions and instead we just get one big, staged action scene after another. That's certainly not the case here because the film takes its time (153-minutes) telling its story and there are so many quiet moments where we just see the characters losing their grip and emotions as they try to make sense of not knowing where these two girls are. What really pushes the film over the edge are the terrific performances with Jackson leading the way in what's the best performance I've seen from him. This isn't your "loving" father in the traditional sense. Instead he's someone quite scary from the first time we see him and we see how much worse he gets as the picture goes along. While on one hand you sympathize with his situation, on the other hand you really can't support what he's doing and often wonderful about his own involvement in things. Jackman really comes off like a man full of emotion and rage and he just doesn't know how to properly let it out. The anger he shows throughout the film is something so raw that you really do feel as if you're watching a man who has a daughter missing. Gyllenhaal also deserves a lot of credit for the way he played the detective role. I really loved the various obstacles that his character gets put through and especially the own weakness and at times stuck-up approach. The supporting cast includes wonderful performances by Dano, Melissa Leo, Terrence Howard, Maria Bello and Viola Davis. The screenplay isn't going to give you a lot of easy answers and there are many times where you hate the lead characters and can't find anything in them to root for. I thought it was quite brave that the film was willing to take so many chances and it asks the viewer to ask themselves many questions about how they would react to what's going on. I can't say I agreed with all the choices but it's great that a film actually makes you think as that's something quite rare these days. PRISONERS isn't exactly an "enjoyable" film as it has you feeling dirty throughout the running time but if you stick with it the thing is certainly very rewarding.

Prisoners is a gritty, incredibly well-acted, suspenseful, thought-provoking crime drama thriller. The film mainly focus on the choices taken and the consequences faced by the characters when worst things happen to them.

It simply raises the question: When your kid's life is at stake, how far are you willing to do to protect your family? It explores the likelihood of human behaviour when such crime is happening to us, blurring the lines between good and bad people.

For a 153 minute movie, the story does unfolds at a slow and solemn pace (which hurts the film and might bore some audiences) but the dramatic scenes performed by the main cast members in the film will keep you engaged. Hugh Jackman and Jack Gyllenhaal both giving intense, Oscar-worthy performances here, defining and developing their characters with various layers of emotions: affection, anger, grief, empathy, guilt...throughout the film.

The film's atmosphere, heavy rains, stormy days and icy cold winter managed to create a dark, dreadful environment to make up the dreary and haunting mood in the film. Every violent action taken by the characters are acts of desperation given that they are running out of time.

However, the film is not perfect. Despite some plot problems from the various twists and turns shown in the film, the superb performances from the casts was sufficient enough to make the story succeed and believable.

Highly recommended for those who wanted to watch a serious drama thriller with powerful, engaging acting performances from its talented casts.

http://yjcool.blogspot.com/2013/09/movie-review-prisoners.html