PRISONERS DVD (2013) |
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SYNOPSIS: Keller Dover is facing a parent's worst nightmare: His young daughter and her friend go missing, and panic has set in for both families as hours turn to days. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki arrests only the suspect - the driver of a dilapidated RV on which the girls had been playing but a lack of evidence forces his release. As pressure mounts, Loki's team pursues multiple leads while a frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Gripping. Intense. Powerful.
I can’t help raving about Prisoners even before I start on the review. It’s such a compelling crime drama from Incendies’ director Denis Villeneuve that you wouldn’t feel the movie clocked in at a staggering 153 minutes.
Every minute of the movie is absorbing from the incredible performances of Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal to the incredible cinematography by Roger Deakins to the tightly wound script by Aaron Guzikowski.
If you love David Fincher’s serial killer drama, Zodiac (which coincidentally also starred Gyllenhaal), Prisoners is another great nod to the genre. Serving as a thought-provoking thriller, the movie opens with the Dovers and Birches celebrating Thanksgiving together. When the daughters from both families suddenly went missing, a suspect by the name of Alex Jones (Paul Dano) is caught by Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal). Unfortunately, the police have to let Jones off as he only has an IQ of a ten year old. Keller Dover (Jackman) decides to take things into his own hands. He went on to capture Alex, kept him locked up in his dad’s dilapidated apartment building and torture him for answers.
Prisoners is not just a simple whodunit thriller, it challenges one to question religion and your own morality if trapped in a similar situation as Keller Dover. The deeper it goes, the character of Keller goes darker. Those with children will fully grasp the suffering of Keller despite the questionable method he chose to resolve the situation. The torture sequence is pretty disturbing though it’s relatively easy to forgive Villeneuve’s decision to portray the gruesomeness.
The performances of Jackman and Gyllenhaal are flawless and engrossing, the latter an emotionally tormented father and the latter, a twitching tough cop. It’s a waste both are not nominated in the Best Actor category in the Academy. And it’s not just the two of them, the supporting cast includes Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard who shines as Franklin Birch, Golden Globe nominee Maria Bello as Grace Dover and the talented Paul Dano as Alex Jones.
Roger Deakins deserved his 11th nomination for Best Cinematography given the highly atmospheric execution here. Heavy rain, snow and a generally brooding mood, it’s like watching Deakins create camera magic to consistently maintain the gloominess. Look out for a scene where Loki weaves in and out of heavy traffic in a downpour to rush to the hospital. The lighting and weather effects are incredible.
No doubt about it, this child-kidnapping thriller is amazing. Prisoners is a must-see.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Audio is overall subtle with a clear dialogue mix. Visually while it’s intended to be naturally soft and dark, it still make the viewing experience a pleasant one.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
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