Possibly Best Film of 2013?

Rating: 9/10 (3 April 2014)

Prisoners is a terrific maze of a thriller as the viewer is never quite sure of what's about to happen. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Detective Loki who has solved every case he's had. And this one is not to elude him but amazingly, he's hot and cold, off and on, and only solves the case with a bit of luck. Hugh Jackman plays Keller Dover, a man who will almost stop at nothing to find his daughter. His and Franklin Birch (played by Terrence Howard) are fathers caught between desperation and loss of ethics. As vigilantes, they take twisted justice into their own hands. As one amateur reviewer here suggests, it is an unusual thriller clouded by moral ambiguity. However, I'm not sure if that is really the case, but rather how far are we willing to test morality and ethics.
Acting is excellent by all major characters including Viola Davis who plays a distraught Nancy Birch, Maria Bello who plays Grace Dover, Melissa Leo who is excellent as Holly Jones, and Paul Dano who plays Alex Jones. Cinematography by Roger Deakins and direction by Denis Villeneuve is outstanding. Kudos to Roger who was nominated for an Oscar and this is as good as his cinematography in No Country For Old Men.
Amazingly, Prisoners only received one Oscar nomination. But then many great films were snubbed by the Oscars. For example, Citizen Kane often rated #1 on many critics list only won one Oscar. Taxi Driver went 0 for 4 in wins and nominations, and Once Upon a Time in the West never received any nominations but among most critics, these films are among the best.
Looking up some lists as for the best films of 2013, for example, the Huffington Post lists 17 films topped by 2) Gravity and 1) American Hustle. Gravity is a spectacular visual film with a poor script, average acting and weak plot as it defies every realistic scenario in space. It will fall into the Rocky category, a film honored by a clueless academy that should beg forgiveness. American Hustle is superior to Gravity but dries up a but at the end. I would place Prisoners at the same level, and perhaps even better than American Hustle. It is probably the best thriller since Silence of the Lambs and a remarkable insightful film into human ethics. Unfortunately, despite being in that category, it happened to be made in 2013 which, frankly, appears to be one of the strongest cluster of films, although, I would think many 9s but perhaps no legendary 10s.
However, only a few graphic thrillers such as Silence of the Lambs or No Country for Old Men have ever been recognized. One wonders if being too graphic turned off Oscar nominations. Hollywood would rather have a clean sentimental screening, like Gravity or 12 Years A Slave. But as time goes on, this film should rise as a classic.