2014 Movie 3: Prisoners
03. PRISONERS, directed by Denis Villenueve, starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhal, Terence Howard, Voila Davis, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, Maria Bello, Dylan Minnette
The Premise (from the IMDb page): When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
My Rating: Five out of five stars
My Thoughts: This is a dark, dark, dark movie, every bit as tense and disturbing as I been led to believe it would be. Like most good mysteries, there are a few red herrings along the way but the reveal of the kidnapper's identity and connection to the other characters makes sense contextually -- you can re-watch the movie and see where the hints were dropped, and they do all line up. One of my biggest complaints with mysteries, whether written or filmed, is when the writers/directors are so interested in being surprising/shocking with their twist endings that they don't play fair with the audience. (IMHO, the only time that's okay is in a canonical Sherlock Holmes story, and even then it's frustrating.)
Performance-wise, I don't think there's a missed opportunity or poor performance in the lot.
Hugh Jackman takes Keller Dover from God-fearing, stand-up family man to some very very dark places ... without spoiling anything other than what the movie's trailers did, he morphs from distraught father to angry detective to a man who sees no other option but to continue on the path he's on, even if that path ends his life and damns his soul. The movie opens with Jackman reciting The Lord's Prayer, so we know he's a religious man; he recites it while watching his teenage son shoot and kill his first deer, so we know he's also a practical man who wants his family to have every chance to survive anything that might happen (the basement is stocked to survive a massive power failure, for example). Near the movie's end, he recites it again, and the difference in intonation and pacing shows us just how far Keller has descended.
Jaky Gyllenhal's character is saddled with the unfortunate name of Detective David Loki. I say "unfortunate" only because, hearing the character's name in the trailers, I assumed he'd be far more of a trickster character than he turns out to be. He does his best to investigate the girls' disappearance, and he does put some connections together than none of the other policemen (what few we see), but he doesn't seem to be very tricksterish. Overall, I liked Gyllenhal's performance as much as Jackman's, except for the facial tic he displays.
I will agree with others who have said that Terrence Howard and Voila Davis are a bit under-used, but the same can be said of Maria Bello. Once the situation is introduced and Keller starts down his dark path, the other three parents become increasingly less important to moving the plot forward. Each one does have at least one powerhouse scene that plays to their strengths. In fact, so does Dylan Minnette, the only one of the four Dover and Birch kids to get significant screen time. Over the past few years, directors have really started to notice Minnette's intensity and he's getting larger and stronger roles. His scenes in Prisoners with Jackman run from a son who idolizes his father to one who cannot contain the betrayal and anguish he feels at what he perceives to be his father's failing. He's a teen to watch.
The other stand-out performance is from Paul Dano, who is virtually unrecognizable as Alex Jones. It's not just the make-up (stringy hair, slightly overweight padding, thick glasses), it's the performance. He's so invested in the character there isn't a glimmer of Dano present. Melissa Leo is also wonderful as Alex's aunt Holly.
The Premise (from the IMDb page): When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
My Rating: Five out of five stars
My Thoughts: This is a dark, dark, dark movie, every bit as tense and disturbing as I been led to believe it would be. Like most good mysteries, there are a few red herrings along the way but the reveal of the kidnapper's identity and connection to the other characters makes sense contextually -- you can re-watch the movie and see where the hints were dropped, and they do all line up. One of my biggest complaints with mysteries, whether written or filmed, is when the writers/directors are so interested in being surprising/shocking with their twist endings that they don't play fair with the audience. (IMHO, the only time that's okay is in a canonical Sherlock Holmes story, and even then it's frustrating.)
Performance-wise, I don't think there's a missed opportunity or poor performance in the lot.
Hugh Jackman takes Keller Dover from God-fearing, stand-up family man to some very very dark places ... without spoiling anything other than what the movie's trailers did, he morphs from distraught father to angry detective to a man who sees no other option but to continue on the path he's on, even if that path ends his life and damns his soul. The movie opens with Jackman reciting The Lord's Prayer, so we know he's a religious man; he recites it while watching his teenage son shoot and kill his first deer, so we know he's also a practical man who wants his family to have every chance to survive anything that might happen (the basement is stocked to survive a massive power failure, for example). Near the movie's end, he recites it again, and the difference in intonation and pacing shows us just how far Keller has descended.
Jaky Gyllenhal's character is saddled with the unfortunate name of Detective David Loki. I say "unfortunate" only because, hearing the character's name in the trailers, I assumed he'd be far more of a trickster character than he turns out to be. He does his best to investigate the girls' disappearance, and he does put some connections together than none of the other policemen (what few we see), but he doesn't seem to be very tricksterish. Overall, I liked Gyllenhal's performance as much as Jackman's, except for the facial tic he displays.
I will agree with others who have said that Terrence Howard and Voila Davis are a bit under-used, but the same can be said of Maria Bello. Once the situation is introduced and Keller starts down his dark path, the other three parents become increasingly less important to moving the plot forward. Each one does have at least one powerhouse scene that plays to their strengths. In fact, so does Dylan Minnette, the only one of the four Dover and Birch kids to get significant screen time. Over the past few years, directors have really started to notice Minnette's intensity and he's getting larger and stronger roles. His scenes in Prisoners with Jackman run from a son who idolizes his father to one who cannot contain the betrayal and anguish he feels at what he perceives to be his father's failing. He's a teen to watch.
The other stand-out performance is from Paul Dano, who is virtually unrecognizable as Alex Jones. It's not just the make-up (stringy hair, slightly overweight padding, thick glasses), it's the performance. He's so invested in the character there isn't a glimmer of Dano present. Melissa Leo is also wonderful as Alex's aunt Holly.