By Ian Rapoport
Executive Arts Editor
The love of family can push people to do extreme things.
The powerful bond between father and daughter serves as the foundation in director Denis Villeneuve’s psychological thriller, “Prisoners.” Founded on compelling performances, the ambitious director’s dark film is engrossing, elaborate and one of the best films of the year thus far.
The narrative follows carpenter Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman), who lives with his family in New Hampshire. One Thanksgiving day, Dover’s young daughter, Anna (Erin Gerasimovich), goes out to play with a friend only to be kidnapped without a trace. As the initial investigations under Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) prove unsuccessful, Dover resorts to torture and vigilantism in order to find his missing daughter.
What proves most shocking about the film is how easy it is for the viewer to sympathize with Dover’s gruesome actions. While the police are calm and unsuccessful in finding evidence, Dover’s aggressive nature in illegal interrogation provides him with hints regarding the whereabouts of Anna. This serves as the needed justification to the viewer for the father’s drastic measures.
The all-star cast capitalizes on the film’s intensity. Initially, Gyllenhaal’s acting is stoic, but his rising emotional intensity throughout the entirety of “Prisoners” goes hand-in-hand perfectly with the changing nature of the conflict.
Yet, it is Jackman’s acting that steals the show. The Academy-Award winner brings his talent in full force by overshadowing Gyllenhaal’s phenomenal performance. In the more hectic moments of the film, Jackman reaches incredible levels of rage that are both incredibly terrifying and astonishing.
Villeneuve’s capability for building tension is present throughout the film. The slower pace of some scenes is made engaging by the gradual rise of the ambient score. Each violent payoff is all the more impactful because of the time given to allow its significance to build, resulting in a film that is constantly engaging.
It is ironic that the film feels too short at a total run time of two hours and 33 minutes. Not a single moment feels wasted, as scenes early on appear to have no real connection with the main plot. However, as “Prisoners” continues, moments like these are revealed to be essential in the overall conflict.
Unfortunately, it is Villeneuve’s ambitious nature paired with the complex narrative that weaken “Prisoners.” The elaborate character motives that are developed in the latter half of the film are simply too complicated to be fully explained in the already long run time.
The overall somber tone of the film serves as a double-edged sword. The lack of any humor or lighter moments makes it obvious that this was the way in which Villeneuve always intended “Prisoners” to be. While the sheer despair in the escalating conflict creates an impactful atmosphere, the dark mood becomes overbearing with nothing to alleviate it.
Ultimately, it is rare that a film reaches the level of engagement that “Prisoners” does. The ambiguous and complex nature of the story is captivating and makes it all the more enthralling by the combined efforts of Gyllenhaal and Jackman. Despite an aggressive approach in the ambiance and storytelling, “Prisoners” still stands as a likely contender for film of the year.
“Prisoners” is rated R and is now playing nationwide.
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