Brilliant!

Rating: 9/10 (27 September 2013)

Prisoners is nothing short of a scary movie; for a parent the horror will likely be tenfold. It is an engrossing& harrowing story of a father & detective taking different roads to find two abducted children. A seemingly generic plot on the surface is infused with such bone-chilling tension, dread, and artistic strokes that it eventually becomes a different beast altogether.
The father is Hugh Jackman, who delivers a scorcher of a performance! Take away Wolverine's claws & replace it with raw emotional weight and you have Jackman's character Keller Dover. Jake Gyllenhaal is also incredibly impressive playing a character struggling between his procedural job & natural instincts. Terrance Howard, Viola Davis, & Paul Dano also put in excellent performances in their respective supporting roles.
The movie, a long procedural hearkens back to Fincher's murder mysteries. In fact, given the pace, narrative quality, & sharp editing one could be excused for mistaking it as such. That is a well-earned compliment for the director Denis Villeneuve. Although in a different context when compared to Seven, the film possesses a layer of religious insinuation that adds interest to the story-structure.
The film proudly shows off Roger Deakins cinematography in what may be his best work considering that this is not a spectacle movie or one shot in some iconic location. His skills elevate the production with gorgeous lighting & camera-angles. It is a technical aspect many will overlook in the dreary setting of the story, but is major strength of the film. Nowhere is it punctuated better than in a brief night-time driving sequence towards the end of the film.
Overall, Prisoners is a dramatic & nerve-grinding thriller of the highest order. It is a slow-burn drama that is a fitting companion-piece to films like Seven & Zodiac.