Prisoners, a masterfully crafted Thriller

Rating: 10/10 (7 July 2019)

Prisoners (2013), a thriller by French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, is one of the greatest cinematic achievements in recent years. The film tells the story of the disappearance of two young girls and how one girl's desperate father, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman), takes matters into his own hands after a policeman, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), drops a promising lead in the case.
The film made a lasting impression on me ever since I first watched it, creating emotionally deep, fleshed out characters through visual storytelling without ever outright telling the audience the characters' backstories. Through the film's symbolism we learn that Hugh Jackman's character is a devout Christian with an obsession of preparing for worst case scenarios, and we learn about Jake Gyllenhaal's character's troubled past before he became the ace detective he is today. The film is a thrilling, intense viewing experience that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat until the very last second. It tells a tremendously well written, complex, and interwoven story that, with its many unpredictable turns, is sure to keep the viewer engaged throughout the entire film. The story asks the daring question how far you would be willing to go to save someone you love and questions our morality as Keller Dover takes more and more extreme measures to find his daughter.
While Denis Villeneuve is an accomplished director and his later films have been met with critical and public acclaim, his English language debut Prisoners remains one of the most overlooked masterpieces of film making. Its suspenseful atmosphere and authentically disturbing plot never lose pace, and take the audience along on a viewing experience that will stay with you long after its dramatic closing shot. The two lead actors Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, as well as the rest of the powerful ensemble cast, deliver top-notch performances that takes you along on a tense, spine-tingling ride like hardly any other film.