Just shy of brilliant.

Rating: 7/10 (20 October 2013)

You may think this film is your typical Tinseltown thriller - thanks to its impressive A-list cast - but don't be fooled; this is a dark, unrelenting tale that cares more about posing moral questions within its murky world than it does about providing narrative twists and turns. Aaron Guzikowski's screenplay delivers grim by the barrel-load, but also intelligence and maturity, whilst Denis Villeneuve's direction is haunting and suggestive without being manipulative or overwrought. Hugh Jackman is front and centre as Keller Dover, the distraught father who will do anything to find his abducted daughter, and he's given credible support by Maria Bello, Terrence Howard and Voila Davis, although it's Jake Gyllenhaal as the loner cop in charge of the disturbing case who is the standout. So far so good, yet there's one major drawback that stops this gritty affair being brilliant: its length. At two and a half hours long, a large chunk of its power is lost with a bloated middle act that should've had 30 minutes shaved off in the editing suite. Prisoners is a Zodiac-esque thriller that requires a strong emotional resolve, your undivided attention and a pre-movie toilet stop.