Prisoners has terrific performances and a building sense of dread...

Rating: 9/10 (27 February 2014)

'Prisoners' is about the abduction of two young girls, and follows the investigation through cop Jake Gyllenhaal and desperate father Hugh Jackman.
This long mystery thriller never drags despite the runtime, and as the film develops its heartfelt story piece at a time, a nerve-jangling level of suspense and slow-building dread is administered, not to mention a few hard-to-watch scenes. The cast is the reason why you become so invested into the abduction plot, which never stalls for a second, and Hugh Jackman delivers a quite sensational, Oscar-worthy performance as the desperate father who'll go to extreme lengths to get his daughter back.
Eventually it meets a satisfactory climax, making a few hair-raising twists and turns on its way to the final events, but not before making you feel simultaneously absorbed and disturbed for the 2.5 hour runtime. 'Prisoners' story will have you hooked from the beginning and stunned at the end, and its great ensemble cast create that bond for you as the viewer into the investment of their situation.