Brilliant, fascinating, twisted and just one of the smartest films I've seen in ages

Rating: 8/10 (29 September 2013)

I'm always actively pursuing the next dark thriller that will hold a candle to the film Se7en. I think that was easily the most brilliant crime thriller I have ever seen. I suspected that Prisoners could potentially be a terrific film and I was so pleased to discover that it is exactly that. I don't mean to say it was good as Se7en but it absolutely holds its own. There were some truly outstanding performances (and a couple of underwhelming ones), but the best part of this film was the script. What a brilliantly crafted, artistic, stunning film filled with symbolism, twists, turns and darkness. The film clocks in at a lengthy 2 1/2 hours but I didn't think it dragged at all. The pacing was consistent and I can't imagine any aspect of the film not being there in order to tell the full story. The clues added up, the twists made sense and I was able to put together the story and figure it out even before it was revealed (which is unusual for me.) But I mean that to be a good thing. As a movie goer you are privy to every detail and clue. This is absolutely not a typical mainstream film. Critics are raving about it and for good reason!
I expected Hugh Jackman would give a good performance and he does. He is a powerful presence on screen and his unravelling as he desperately tries to find his daughter and will literally go to any length is disturbing and terrific. Jackman deserves acclaim once again for another performance. I thought Jackman would be the best performance in the film BUT that honour in my opinion goes to Jake Gyllenhaal. He is just electrifying on screen and what an amazing character he brings to life. Just watching him do this is fascinating because his character has so many ticks, habits, tattoo's...he clearly has a huge back story that we don't know about. I think its unusual but also brilliant for a film maker to give so much depth to a supporting character. Paul Dano gives a solid and very creepy performance as the accused Alex Jones. Dano is good but he might oversell it just a little bit in some scenes. Same goes for Melissa Leo (whom I admit I am sort of tired of and always found her overrated.) She is good in her role as Dano's Aunt but in some scenes I felt like she was overacting especially towards the end. I love Viola Davis, I think she is a great actor and she is decent in this but sort of underused and despite one particularly good scene between her and Dano, she sort of flounders in the shadow of Jackman and Gyllenhaal. The final two performances were the worst in the film unfortunately. Terrence Howard might have been alright if his character has been given more to work with. But when you have one father who is showing some powerful emotions and going to all ends to find his daughter...Howard's character comes across as skittish and boring. He looks terrified enough but that's the only emotion he demonstrates. I can't even say Maria Bello would be good under any circumstances because her character and her performance was just awful. Most of the film she spends in bed thank goodness but even in her gut wrenching grief it is overdone and overacted. Its really unfortunate because it somehow drags Jackman's scenes down just a little when she's in them. She is the weak link of this cast by far.
Oscar nominated director Denis Villeneuve crafts the best thriller I think I've seen all year. I long to see the special features on a Blu-Ray release to see if he discusses all the things that were purposely done in this movie. It is clearly set in modern day and yet the homes, the appliances, the vehicles, the decor...all have a distinctive 70's/80's vibe to it. Despite some mediocre to bad performances by the main cast the film is not dragged down completely by it. Jackman and Gyllenhall are very nearly awe-inspiring in their parts so it balances out nicely. The film is so grey and bleak and the scenes are perfectly shot to leave you wondering what is coming next and what is happening. I am not a prude by any means and I can watch just about anything and have but I felt like the extreme language (particularly the "F" word) was used FAR too much. I do believe completely that it was necessary in many spots and added to the characters but it was overused again and again until it became distracting and I hate that. Honestly, Prisoners is a 10/10 movie that loses points for silly little things that should have been avoided. The story is a 10, two performances are 10's, the cinematography is a 10...but then when you start looking at things that took away from how great these things were you have to penalize it a little. Regardless, True Crime fans or anyone looking for a really above average thriller cannot go wrong with this one. I think there was so much symbolism in this movie that I missed the first time around and the bizarre but appropriate religious undertones as well. See it for yourself but make sure you understand this isn't a blow-em-up action flick but rather a brilliant, masterpiece of crime film. 8.5/10