Immersive, emotional and tense, a Thriller as it should be

Rating: 10/10 (8 October 2013)

Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal have teamed with relatively unknown director Denis Villeneuve to bring one of the greatest Thrillers of 2013. "Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst," is a line Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) lives his life by. But when the unimaginable happens, and his daughter and her friend are kidnapped, Keller takes matters into his own hands when the police seem unable to act.
Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) has solved every case he's ever been assigned. He and Keller are after the same goal, to see the girls home alive, but their methods differ; one of composure, one of desperation.
Now, onto discussing the brilliance of this film. For me, it really comes down to three factors: the story, the acting, and the fantastic moments of tension. Essentially, these are the elements that every film of the Thriller genre will strive to perfect, and Prisoners hits the nail on the head for all three.
Boasting a run time of over two and half hours, Prisoners has a lot of story to tell. Long films aren't always a good thing, when you stretch a film to that length of time it typically starts to stagger at some point. But with Prisoners, it worked. It wasn't slow, but neither did it feel rushed, the Director told the story he wanted to tell in what felt like its entirety. The story also managed to remain intriguing without throwing twists and turns and revelations into the script every few minutes, and this is partly due to the fantastic characters and their relationships with one another.
However, it doesn't matter how great a script is, especially in the Thriller genre, if you haven't got the actors to deliver the material. Jake Gyllenhaal is an immensely versatile actor, and he fits into the role of Detective Loki beautifully. Even for such a recognisable face, I didn't see Mr Gyllenhaal on screen in front of me, I only saw Detective Loki, doing everything in his power to find the missing girls. Hugh Jackman, in addition, performed genuine Academy Award winning acting for this performance. When Keller filled with sorrow, I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. When Keller filled with fury, my fists and jaw clenched. When Keller collapsed in grief, I slumped in my chair. To call his performance gripping would be a mammoth understatement.
Finally, the tension. A trademark of the genre, if you can make your audience's hearts pound in their chests at the right moment, you're on your way to a winning product. Prisoner's has an excellent amount of tension, and by that I don't mean a wealth of it. A balance has to be struck to keep the audience gripped, but to make them really appreciate the tension when it comes by not over-doing it. Prisoners did it so well, I was literally sat on the edge of my seat in one of the closing scenes, and had my heart pounding on a number of occasions. I will be shocked of this film does not attain the prestige it deserves. If you are a fan of the Thriller genre, I really cannot recommend this film enough. Make sure to take your partner or your friends with you, because you're going to want to discuss this masterpiece at length when the credits start to roll.