Prisoners

Prisoners, the latest film from director Denis Villeneuve is a tour de force. This film is not for the weak, for it is a film that exposes mans inhumanity to man on almost every level. Just when you think things can't get any worse, Prisoners goes so dark that it can render you motionless. I was tired when I walked out of the theater, shaken by what I had just seen, but smiling because of what I had just seen. Prisoners is an amazing film and because of that, I give it four buckets of Killer Korn.











I have been asked time and time again why I don't have children. I always smiled and gave them some off the cuff answer because I knew they would look at me completely differently were I to tell them the truth. Prisoners reveals my truth. Hugh Jackman plays Keller Dover and that is a character I related to completely. He is a man that loses his mind and goes completely off the common sense scale when his daughter Anna, played by Erin Gerasimovich gets kidnapped on Thanksgiving. Her best friend Joy, played by Kyla Drew Simmons gets taken along with her and the two families are interwoven with what seems like paralyzing grief. All but Keller.

Viola Davis plays Nancy Birch and Terrance Howard plays her husband Franklin, parents of Joy. Maria Bello plays Grace, wife of Keller and mother to Anna. The three of them are content to search the countryside high and low for the little girls, but Keller knows the man the police have in custody, Alex Jones played by Paul Dano is guilty and decides to take matters into his own hands, to force a confession out of him. What Keller does to Alex is gruesome, violent, and at times unmerciful and while it made me uncomfortable to watch, I would have done the same thing, if not worse. Melissa Leo is Holly Jones, Alex' mother and she is absolutely amazing. Jake Gyllenhaal gives his most nuanced performance of his career as Detective Loki, an obsessed cop that has a perfect record of solving any case he's put on. He is a bulldog and won't let this case go no matter how many times he's told to.

The cast is perfect, the performances are gut wrenching and brilliant, and the story written by Aaron Guzikowski is absolutely frightening. Prisoners is not for the faint of heart, it is the feel bad movie of the year and I am so glad I saw it. It's a dark, moody, powerful film that is well crafted and well directed. Denis, the cast, Arron, and the crew should definitely get some love from the Academy because Prisoners deserves it. Shot by cinematographer Roger Deakins, Prisoners makes a prisoner of the viewer. It puts you in the holes, the cages, the traps, and the minds of the people who are trapped by their grief. Scored by the magnificent Johan Johannsson the music just adds to the angst and drama of the images and performances. After seeing this film I couldn't think of anyone who could have scored this film better. If you're not in the market for something heavy, dark, and violent then skip this movie because that is exactly what Prisoners is. If however, you are looking for an Oscar contender to see and you don't mind the subject matter then I HIGHLY recommend Prisoners because it will blow you away, especially the ending. And I'll see you at the theater.