Brilliant Performance on top of masterful film making, the best film of 2013 thus far

Rating: 10/10 (20 September 2013)

At first glance, this film will strike many people as a typical Hollywood revenge film resembling the likes of Death Wish and Payback. However, that is furthest from the truth. Prisoners packs one hell of a punch, giving the audience not only something very entertaining, but also something very human in the process. The film plays out more like Seven, Zodiac and Mystic River, allowing the audience inside the mind of Keller Dover, a man searching for his daughter while teetering on the brink of insanity. The story kicks off when the Dover and Birch families are celebrating Thanksgiving. What seems like a normative celebration quickly descends into a frantic search for two young girls. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal)arrives at the Dover house after the abduction and soon finds a suspect in Paul Dano's character. But as time passes without finding the girls, Dano is finally let go. Much to his dismay, Keller Dover takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps the suspect, subjecting him to brutal torturous methods as he searches for the truth in finding his daughter. What makes Prisoners so well crafted is the performances from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, both of whom are at the top of their game in this film. The chemistry between these two actors is impeccable, bringing a natural presence to the screen. The supporting cast, including an unrecognizable Melissa Leo, is superb. Viola David, Maria Bello and Paul Dano also give caliber performances, and keep the film entertaining just on their performances alone.
The story keeps moving and moving and never slows up despite a two and a half hour running time. While that seems like a deterrent nowadays for most audiences, this film is good enough for anyone to sit through happily and be able to walk out of the theater satisfied with the final product. This is a heavy hitting movie that Hollywood very seldom makes. It is rooted in classic revenge films from the golden age of Hollywood while introducing new style and substance, making for a truly intriguing watch.
If there's any film that you should see right now, trust me, it is most definitely Prisoners.