Jackman should definitely see at least an Oscar nomination come awards time (so should Gyllenhaal)!

Rating: 9/10 (26 September 2013)

'PRISONERS': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal star in this crime thriller about a father obsessed with finding his kidnapped daughter. The film co-stars Terrence Howard, Paul Dano, Melissa Leo, Viola Davis and Maria Bello. It was written by Aaron Guzikowski and directed by critically acclaimed (and award winning) Canadian director Denis Villeneuve. Mark Wahlberg (who was originally set to star in the film) produced it (he also starred in the 2012 Guzikowski penned crime thriller 'CONTRABAND'). The movie is about as intense and emotionally involving as crime dramas get and it's filled with stellar performances. It was just a tad too disturbing for me (at the time of the viewing) but worth it.
Jackman stars as Keller Dover in the film. Keller is a religious family man with a wife, Grace (Bello), teenage son, Ralph (Dylan Minnette) and six-year-old daughter Anna (Erin Gerasimovich). As the movie opens his family visits their neighbors, Franklin (Howard) and Nancy Birch (Davis) and their two daughters Eliza (Zoe Borde) and Joy (Kyla Drew Simmons), for Thanksgiving dinner. The two six-year-old daughters run home to the Dover's house to retrieve Anna's security whistle and never return. Ralph and Eliza saw their younger siblings playing on an RV parked down the street earlier that afternoon and tell their parents this (they also noticed someone was inside it). The RV is no longer there when Keller and Franklin go looking for it. The police are alerted and Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) is put on the case. They locate the RV but the kids aren't inside it and the man driving it, Alex (Dano), is mentally retarded with the IQ of a ten-year-old. Alex is arrested but later released (as Loki pursues other leads) but Keller is sure that Alex knows where his daughter is and will stop at nothing to get the information out of him.
Gyllenhaal has been one of my favorite actors for several years (ever since films like 'DONNIE DARKO' in 2001 and 'MOONLIGHT MILE' in 2002). He gives one of his best performances to date here; as a cop almost as obsessed with saving the kids as Jackman's father character is. It's Jackman that gives the best performance of his career here though (I believe). He's so emotional and convincing that he should definitely see at least an Oscar nomination come awards time (so should Gyllenhaal though). The rest of the cast is all more than adequate as well but it's not just the acting that makes the movie work so well. The script is gut wrenchingly suspenseful and fast paced and the directing is equally as intense. The movie kicks into high gear once the kids are kidnapped and never really lets up until the credits roll. It's disturbing, heart breaking and very hard to watch (and I've seen a few too many of these types of films lately) but it's definitely worth it. A grade A crime thriller all around!
Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQkUJbRVsoM