One of the best films of the year

Rating: 10/10 (22 October 2013)

I won't lie: I'm a huge fan of Jake Gyllenhaal and have been for a number of years. I've never seen a movie of his I didn't like. And, while I do like Hugh Jackman (and I do think he's a great actor), he's never been one of my favourites.
That being said, I did enjoy Prisonersa lot. The movie was gritty, intense and emotionally involved. Jake has definitely found his niche with the law-enforcement-themed films. Prisoners is about child abductions and the effects it has on the families involved and those who take on the case. It is a realistic approach on that matter (much like Jake's other film, End of Watch).
You have two families ((Dovers' (father played by Hugh Jackman) and the Birches (father played by Terrance Howard))) getting together for Thanksgiving, when things take a turn for the worse when their youngest children get abducted. Then you have the investigator (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) who isn't really a rookie for investigations, but a rookie when it comes to dealing with child abduction cases. And it takes its toll on him.
He gets emotionally invested, which is something they (investigators) try their hardest not to do.
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Then you have Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) who ends up abducting the person they think is responsible, Alex Jones (Paul Dano). He ends up torturing him, trying to get information from him, despite Alex being mentally handicapped. Franklin Birch (Terrance Howard) steps in and, while he thinks it's morally wrong, is so desperate to find his daughter, he goes along with it. He does fight between what is right and wrong and even tells his wife (Viola Davis) about it, but she's on Keller's side.
Meanwhile, Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) is losing it to the case. He's having breakdowns and is desperate to find the girls.
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Honestly, I think this is some of the best performances by these actors. I never saw Terrance as a serious actor before this, but after this film, my opinion is changing. Hugh Jackman's always been able to do serious roles and he really is great in this - probably one of his best performances.
Jake, however, while I do feel this is another amazing and in intense performance, nothing will ever top End of Watch for me. This is a runner-up, though. His performance is flawless and he does show the reality these types of cases has on investigators.
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One thing I did joke about with my mum afterwards, though, was that End of Watch ended with Zavala (Michael Pena) dying and Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) being forced to live with his best friend and partner being dead. This felt somewhat like a continuation on that. Like Taylor decided to quit the LAPD, move to a smaller department, but keep going and train up to be an investigator, despite being without his partner. So things got to him easier.
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This film is insanely amazing. It's real, it's dark, it's gritty and it's one you have to be emotionally prepared to handle. Even if you're not, still see it. It's a great movie with intense scenes and it's the most realistic performances from Hugh and Terrance that I'd never thought I'd see.