Prisoners

Prisoners has been getting plenty of Oscar buzz.  And it's easy to see why.  It's a gripping and gritty drama/thriller with a stellar cast.  In fact, the deck is so stacked with this movie that I was concerned it was one of those films that are crafted just to try to win awards.  Thing is, those movies tend to be intensely mediocre and never win any awards.  It's even on the poster.  Academy Award nominees Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis (2 nominations!), and Terrence Howard.  They also have an Academy Award winner: Melissa Leo.  The poster even throws out that Maria Bello is a Golden Globe nominee (two nominations!).  I'm shocked that they didn't credit Paul Dano as a BAFTA nominee.  Prisoners is also helmed by Denis Villeneuve, the director of one of the 2010 Academy Award nominees for Best Foreign film.  It's also produced by the Academy Award nominated team behind The Blind Side.  It's filmed by master cinematographer, and 10 time Academy Award nominee, Roger Deakins.  It's even edited by an Academy Award winner!  Basically, this is a movie that feels like it was made to pander to award judges.  So does it actually succeed in being an Oscar contender?  Hell yes, it does!

 

Prisoners is about neighboring couples whose young daughters are kidnapped.  Hugh Jackman plays one of the fathers who becomes convinced of the guilt of a mentally handicapped young man (Paul Dano).  The story splits into two.  One follows Jake Gyllenhaal's dedicated detective's investigation and the other follows Jackman as he takes Dano hostage and attempts to torture the truth out of him.

 

This is a brutal film.  The torture is gut-wrenching, but that's the easy stuff.  It's the pain that these parents experience that really hurts.  It's more than just a mystery.  The audience is kept from knowing what really happened, not for the sake of suspense, but so that we can share in the fear of the unknown with the girls' parents.

 

The cast is beyond amazing.  But Jake Gyllenhaal and Maria Bello are the standouts.  I don't even really want to get into the performances.  There's too much to cover.  Talking about the acting in Prisoners could be its own article.  They are all worthy of acclaim.

 

This is a beautiful and heart-breaking film that grabs you from the moment it begins.  I loved this movie.  Finally, a seemingly Oscar bait movie that actually deserves Oscars.  It is easily among the absolute best of 2013.

 

8.5 out of 10