I absolutely hated this movie.
Judging by the critic reviews, it only got a high score from them because it's pretty and the style is interesting, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that all the user scores are so high.

I will admit that it's a visually pleasing movie, but not only does the mediocre plot drag on forever, it also relies on cheap tricks (like the plot "twist" near the end) and doesn't fill the expectations built up in the trailer (the truth behind the story was completely unbelievable)

And even though most people seem to think the characters are well thought through, all I saw was tropes. Hugh Jackman's character is the ruthless badass who'd do anything to protect his child, his wife is a stereotypical mother, doing nothing but crying for her lost child.
Detective Loki is the excellent detective with no social life, and the villains are your cookie cutter Hollywood serial killers.
Joy's parents seemed to be the only characters who weren't one dimensional, yet they had some of the least screen time.

One could argue that it's more about the message than the story itself, but an interesting message doesn't make up for a drab plot and poor character design.… Expand

Prisoners is a riveting, potent abduction thriller with an ominous demeanor and intelligent direction that makes its dark subject matter uneasy, yet enticing to watch. The performances are also gripping and exciting, especially Hugh Jackman who gives a performance for the ages, one of memorable and award winning caliber.

Good solid movie, a bit long and unbelievable (but aren't all movies?). Just wished the ending had been a bit more satisfying IMHO it "cut off" a bit too early. Another good movie very similar to this (without as many characters) is CHAINED directed by David Lynch's daughter. It was more believable and more gut wrenching.

...Terrible...First off, this was produced by Mark Wahlberg so you would think it would be, at the very least, mildly badass. Plus it has Hugh Jackman, Jake Gillyhall, the Black Guy from Ironman, and the kid from There Will Be Blood plays an assburger.
That aside, the movie starts off like any other kidnap movie. Happy family, parents not paying attention, rapist scoops up the goods. Pretty standard. The suspect gets off clean, the police dont even contemplate anyone else as a possibility and Hugh Jackman takes justice into his own hands. Which sounds exciting right? Wrong. The plot proceeds to drag on for 2 and a half hours of blatantly cut and dry detective work, some moralistic struggles with Jackman and the mom giving Wolverine crap for not protecting them better. Which pisses me off cuz at least HE didnt spend the first week after their kid got snatched up drowning his sorrows in Zoloft and Puffs Plus Tissues. All that aside, this team of Oscar Award winners couldn't make up for the horrendous plot. Kinda makes me wonder if Jackman actually read the script or if that ability was taken with his kid. In the end, all I could feel was that the real Prisoners in this story was the audience themselves.… Expand

Prisoners is a violent and disturbing look at the blurry lines between good and bad people couched in an engaging (and unsettling) kidnapper subplot. Villeneuve’s film should have no trouble pleasing moviegoers who are up for a dark and insightful exploration of human behavior setoff by one of our culture’s most detestable criminal actions. Action fans are better off sticking with the Tak Taken series, but thriller and drama enthusiasts should find plenty of powerful performances and rich story material to make Prisoners an exhilarating and penetrating theater experience.… Expand

Wow! Just Wow! "Prisoners" is a dark and grimacing movie. It doesn't really show how Keller (Hugh Jackman) really wants his daughter back so to say, it shows even more grimace and more depth in the horror of what is one to do. Hugh Jackman is the heart of this story. He brings on the true grit of his character which was fantastic. I think he should get another Oscar nod. Plus it has great cinematography and a fantastic script to work off of. Overall, it's truly one of the best movies of the year/If not, the best movie of the year. Be sure to check out my YouTube channel "TheMovieManLife" for all things movies.… Expand

Fantastic film, and Jake is its heart and soul. The trailer makes it look much more dour and depressing than it actually is. It's a true thriller, and I'm excited to see it again.

'Prisoners' is a very moody film, beautifully shot, acted and suspenseful. HOWEVER, unlike the movies to which it's been compared to by some (Mystic River, Silence of Lambs, Zodiac), Prisoners also borderlines on the 'ridiculous.' There are a lot of 'holes' in the story/plot that ultimately disappoint. In terms of story I would say that this film is more like a hybrid of: "The Lovely Bones" "Mystic River" and "Extremities"
(which starred Farah Fawcet). Overall, it's a worthwhile film for the performances and cinematography. The movie could have been great had it been edited down and fleshed out a bit more.… Expand

This movie was amazing, the acting was top notch,the story was really goood with a few twists in it. It has an equal balance of mystery and action to keep youu watching.

Good movie, good plot. I would have given this movie a 9/10 if it wasn't for the fact that 90 seconds [the last 90 seconds] ruined the whole movie. What were the producers thinking????? They had a slam dunk kick ass movie if the ending did'nt suck, and it sucked bad, bad enough to ruin the entire movie. Please dont waste you money, but if you do, dont say I didnt tell you that you will leave the movie theater discussed and angry. I feel like I was robbed and that is not a good feeling. At best, only because of the ending, this movie should not get a higher rating then a 6/10.… Expand

Hugh Jackman cements his position as one of top A list actors with his riveting performance in “Prisoners”. The opening scene is him teaching his son to shoot a deer and tells him “Be ready”. Keller Dover (Jackman) first appears to be a survivalist with a basement filled with shelves as part of being ready. He seems to a Right wing Conservative who has been a recovering alcoholic for nine or nine and a half years, praying on and off but little by little your first impression changes. He and his wife, Grace, (Maria Bello) with their 6 year old daughter Anna (Erin Gerasimovich) and son Ralph (Dylan Minnette) are having Thanksgiving dinner with Franklin (Terrence Howard) and Nancy (Viola Davis) Birch their 7 year old daughter Joy (Kyla Drew Simmons) and Eliza Birch (Zoe Borde). After dinner their two young daughters go outside only to disappear.

The first, and obvious, suspect is a mentally impaired man Alex (Paul Dano), who lives with his Aunt Holly Jones (Melissa Leo). The girls are seen playing and starting to climb his RV earlier.He lives, sleeping on a sofa bed, in his aunt’s home, her husband having left 5 years earlier. Loki, (Jake Gyllenhaal) the detective in charge of the case, who has solved every case he has been in charge of, is first seen eating his Thanksgiving dinner alone in a diner and next arresting and questioning Alex. He has to let him go as their is no evidence he is involved.

Keller believes Alex is guilty and wants to know where he has taken the girls and threatens to torture him until he confesses. He takes Alex off to a house in complete disrepair that he use to own and ties him up in a small room. He brings Franklin in with him who is repulsed by the whole idea but wants his child back. Needless to say both families are affected by the kidnapping and possible death of their children.

“Prisoners” is rated R for violence and there are a couple of scenes some will hide their eyes from watching it plus the “F” word seems to be a major part of Loki’s speech. There are a couple of unnecessary red herrings that makes the movie run 2 hours and 20 minute, a bit too long, but the director Denis Villeneuve, along with screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski, keeps the tension and suspense going with a somewhat ambiguous ending. Don’t let the violence deter from seeing the “Prisoners”.

The cast is first rate but it is Hugh Jackman’s picture and he takes it to the depths that very few actors could.… Expand

Overall the movie is suspenseful and well-acted. The plot has some holes, but so what? Entertaining, albeit a tad predictable. Hugh Jackman is very believable in his role.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I found Prisoners to be an engrossing and tense movie of the darker nature that breaks boundaries involving what otherwise decent people might do in extremely emotional situations. The performances are good and I recommend the movie however (spoiler alert!!) I thought there were two substantial red herrings which purposely distract you away from the real truth about the perpetrators and their motives which is somewhat incredulous (this is being done to turn people away from God).
The first involves Alex who because of what he initially does when confronted by police which is unexplained (and why is he driving a RV in the first place)? Then, because of what he says and sings, the viewer is led to suspect him as does the parent who tortures him for the truth that he suspects Alex knows.
The second character thought to be involved is some type of exceptional copy cat who does all that he can to make himself suspicious and yet is not really involved. There is a lot of confusion about what he knows combined with mazes/maps that actually have no connection to the movie as a whole. I missed the connection between his maze diagram and a medallion worn by one of the perpetrators but the coincidence is strikingly present and yet not connected to the true nature of the actual crime at all.
So, although I liked the movie, I felt I was purposely distracted and misled in two separate methods that made me suspect the wrong individuals, much as the parent and the detective did, while in the end these two story threads turned out to be unrelated to the actual crime in any way. It's like the movie purposely fooled around with me so that I couldn't make conclusions as I watched it. But, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the viewing.… Expand

Prisoners is a dark and dreary, but fantastic thriller. The acting is superb and the script has many captivating twists and turns. It could be a tad shorter, but overall one of the best films of 2013. A

I wanted to like this movie much more than I did the actors do a fine job and the direction has its merit. Problem is that it's such a heavy-handed allegory about a post-9/11 America grappling with the ethics of revenge vs. justice, a holy war, and use/effects of "rendition"/torture against innocents and perhaps not-so-innocents. That some audience members laughed at some of the moments that were meant to be terrifying convinced me either the public has developed a callous jadedness towards these very important issues or the film is clumsy in how it tackles them. This wasn't a "bad" film, just one that could've used fewer nonsensical twists-and-turns that too nicely allow an allegorical frame for what at its heart is about the terrifying idea of how innocence can be lost to random evil.… Expand

This is classic case of STYLE over SUBSTANCE! It is beautifully shot, the music is spot on... it's moody and pulls you IN. It is very visually engaging. The story and plot have more holes in them then a golf course!! The torture scenario is just ridiculous, no one would go along with this... nor take it this far.
Also, the audience is deliberately mislead throughout, to engage viewers, so they're scratching their heads, but when it all starts to unfold... it's just an unbelievable mess. I WAS engaged during the movie... it was the ending and then all the thought in hind-sight that made me hate this more and more. I feel like I was held 'prisoner' tricked into waiting for something that didn't pan out. It's a RENTAL folks. You'll enjoy it a lot more at home when you're not paying or expecting something truly worthwhile.… Expand

It's a long movie but an engrossing one. The first half of the movie seems to be a metaphor for Guantanamo. Impotent rage leads to torture and possibly justice but definitely injustice. And at what cost? Scattered clues lead, if read correctly, to the inevitable truth about the kidnapping of the girls, but leave open to interpretation the moral paths taken and the outcome of a major protagonist. The audience is manipulated hither, thither, and yon, and it's all great fun if you stay objective and quite teeth grinding if you don't. The Director borrows heavily from many sources-these days who doesn't, and who can't-and it's quite a Pot Pourri of memory lane goodies. The last shot seems to be leaving us with an open ended question: "You decide!"
Jackman is great as a very loose cannon (Wolverine was a warmup?). Gyllenhall is all ticks and props and gimmicks. Dano is paid well for a mute, and Maria Bello is oh so wasted.

Of course.................SPOILER................. there is one actor who is in this for an oh so obvious reason.… Expand

Overall I liked Prisoners. I will admit I was not that engaged for a good chunk of the movie. The movie had me at some parts but lost me a good chunk of the time but towards the end the film got going and I finally got the thriller I wanted to see. I just wish I had gotten there sooner. If you want to see this movie keep in mind it takes forever to get going, it has some gore, and that there is no guarantee you will be satisfied with the ending that you had to sit through almost two hours of nothingness to get to. While the film could have been shortened this film had enough engaging scenes, especially at the end, to make glad I saw it. While the film can be slow and dull at times, the third act of the film makes it worth the wait as some really interesting/horrifying/shocking stuff happens making it worth a look.… Expand

This is a movie that will likely remain stuck in audience member's heads long after they walk out of the theater. And fortunately enough, I happen to be one of them. This movie was not only a well-made, edge of your seat thriller, but it was also unexpectedly terrifying in many spots. The unpredictability of several scenes added great tension. In addition, we're given what was probably some of the finest powerhouse acting we've seen all year! Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal both deliver very convincing performances. I honestly wouldn't be surprised though if Hugh Jackman is given his second shot at an Oscar next February (he certainly deserves it!) Unfortunately, other great actors, like Terence Howard and Viola Davis didn't get enough screen-time in my opinion. Same goes for Melissa Leo and Paul Dano. Paul especially played a very different type of character than I'm used to seeing him play. I thought he did rather well. But overall, despite the lengthy run-time and somewhat slow pace in only a few spots, this was without a doubt one of the year's best drama/thrillers!… Expand

Denis Villeneuve has a keen eye for the dynamics of every day life he perfectly captures the lives of the families who are hit by this tragedy. In a matter of the first minutes of the film, we quickly realize who these people are. Their grief stricken despair is the more real, since the film never goes for a sensationalistic approach. There's a certain hint of Dennis Lehane's novels in the screenplay, but the characters are deftly presented, and the suspense is built progressively. The atmosphere that is built is certainly oppressive and bleak, but the film is elevated by the fantastic cast: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Melissa Leo and Paul Dano, all deliver more than impeccable performances. A great film worth watching.… Expand

It happens on a happy Thanksgiving: Two families who have gathered to celebrate discover their daughters have disappeared. While there's a cop on the case (Jake Gyllenhaal), one of the fathers (Hugh Jackman) decides to take matters into his own hands (with some unpleasant results). This isn't really a revenge flick, as much as an often intense crime drama. The cast is uniformly excellent and much of the movie is compelling, but the 2 1/2-hour length could have used some cutting. Much of the middle simply drags on. That being said, it's a complex story that's effectively told.… Expand

Although I felt somewhat manipulated while watching, Prisoners was admittedly mesmerizing. When the film ends you might be scratching your head and asking what certain people or events had to do with the plot. I know I have several unanswered questions. Still, this film was about 2 1/2 hours and I never looked at my watch. I thought the acting was superb across the board, and the pacing excellent. Good film to watch during Halloween time because it is creepy for sure.… Expand

Hugh Jackman. Nominated for Oscar. Jake Gyllenhaal. Nominated for Oscar. Viola Davis. Nominated for 2 Oscars. Terrence Howard. Nominated for Oscar. Melissa Leo. Won Oscar. Maria Bello. Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Cinematography. Roger Deakins Nominated for 10 Oscars This list of Oscar nominees who acted and worked in this movie is not full. Take a number of excellent and famous actors, the best cinematographer and a mediocre script. The result will be a strange mix. A beautiful picture with decent performance and plenty of suspense. But, as they say, a spoonful of tar spoils a barrel of honey. The script has so many impossible, improbable holes in it.
If it were a movie like "Die Hard" or "Mission Impossible" where you expect impossible and improbable, and the whole point is pure entertainment. But this movie pretends to be a serious crime drama. Well, it is rather another "could have been"... It it were seriously edited and cut to, say, 100 minutes instead of 153, then, maybe, it would be quite good of a movie. I was disappointed.… Expand

Despite using a ton of name-brand actors it has almost no hollywoodisms to an uncomfortable degree. It feels so real that it's difficult to watch. One of the tensest things I've ever seen. Beyond being a great thriller, it also engages with larger issues that have been touched on in previous films like Zero Dark Thirty and Munich, namely: even if justified, what damage does vengeance or torture do to us as a society when we carry them out?… Expand

This movie kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters and acting were amazing. The twist and turns kept you contemplating who was the real culprit for the disappearance of the two girls. Everything was perfect. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal cary the movie. Well Done!!!

Prisoners is definitely by far one of the best crime thrillers of our generation. It is a very dark environment this film takes place in and the atmosphere is one that is cold and shocking. It attacks your core on a personal level by trying to put you in the characters' shoes, would you have done what Keller(Hugh Jackman) did to try and find his daughter, is one of the huge questions director Denis Villeneuve tries to emphasize on you and throughout you contemplate whether or not it was, which is what really got me on this film. The acting by the two leads is superb, by far my favorite Hugh Jackman role, and Jake Gyllenhaal plays the role like he has done it many times. I must say that the rest of the characters didn't really place their importance in this film besides Paul Dano, and I didn't want it to end the way it did. All in all this film was really enjoyable to watch, I'd suggest going to see this in theaters.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Prisoners does not take long to start off the story, probably less than 10 minutes in, and it prolongs the story which makes a nice effect on the audience. It creates the feeling that the girls have been gone for so long, and toward the end of the film, since its so long, the audience will have lost hope. The story itself is a puzzle, and the audience almost has to put together the pieces, but in the end it does not really connect all the pieces together but rather gets lazy about it and just comes up with some random excuse as to how the kids got stolen. It has a cliff hanger ending which I hate in films, like we've been committed the past 2 and a half hours for this? Also the character development... through the film we understand the 2 main leads pretty well, Keller Dover (Jackman) and Officer Loki (Jake (his first name is easier to spell)) but we don't know who they are, you know what I mean? We get no look at Loki's personal life, or why he is driven so hard to find these girls. We get a glimpse in the first several minutes of the film of Jackman's character, a hunter, a strict parent, an ambitious worker. But so much is unexplained... It is one of those films where while watching it you are on the edge of your seat, not necessarily because of the story but because each individual scene's artistic merit creates suspense, but after the film you walk away feeling like you got absolutely nothing out of that movie.… Expand

O K.... I was impressed with the fact that there was no eye popping special effects or slick or outstanding on location shooting. This was filmed in an average neighborhood and a slum type of area and so to get this many excellent reviews only two things can hold up a movie such as this and that is story line and acting... Both of which are excellent

Really good film. The acting, especially by Jackman and Gyllenhaal, was really good and believable. In addition, the directing did an outstanding job creating the mood. You felt sad when you were supposed to feel sad and you felt scared when you were supposed to feel scared, etc. Overall, a really tense and dark film that is quite successful all-around.

I wasn't really interested in this movie until reviews started coming out, but even then i thought "it will probably just be a typical kidnapping movie". No. Jesus, no. It's an incredibly dark movie with a terrifyingly plausible story that keeps you interested all the way through (and the ending...dear god the ending). Some really great direction here and some terrific acting, Hugh Jackman and Jake Gylenhall (sorry if I'm spelling that wrong) both deserve Oscar nominations. Definitely check it out if you're interested.… Expand

well let me tell you something, I enjoyed the movie very much, the acting was great, the story was great, the effects was great, I was very pleased from the movie, but lets get to the bad size, well I went to the movie theater to see This is the end, because in my country it release date was only last week, so me and my friends went to the theater and they didn't let us in because we are 13 years old and this is the end was 16+ in my country, so I had to compromise and I knew that prisoners got a 74/100 and in my country it was only 13+, and you got to agree wit me that prisoners is way more not to my age than this is the end, so we chose prisoners and we thought that it whould be a great drama movie but not that kind of uncomfortable drama movies, and don't get me wrong, even if I am 13 doesn't mean that I didn't saw uncomfortable movies and TV shows, so you know what it was most uncomfortable movie that I ever saw, but even with that I got nothing bad to say about this movie, it was a great movie, but I was a little disappointed because me and my friends went to the movie theater for a movie with comedy, instead of that we went to a dark drama movie.… Expand

It may be a complete gut punch of a movie at times, but that's the entire appeal of this almost faultlessly acted, shot, directed, written, and executed chiller/thriller.

After about 20 minutes Prisoners begins to feel like it is going to be another paint by numbers, seen it all before kidnap drama. However, the longer it goes on (and it is a long watch) the better it gets. Subsequent twists, turns and genuine surprises of the extremely well constructed screenplay enables the movie to finally find its footing. The end result is a superior mystery thriller, even though a few questions do remain unanswered. The performances contribute a great deal. There is no denying that Hugh Jackman is very good here but he is playing a rather dislike able character, even given the circumstances. His frequent rants tend to dissolve into monotone. Jake Gyllenhaal is much better as the cop. With his constant eye tics and suspicious nature he is the true heart of what makes prisoners ultimately as good as it is. One constant irritation though, was the implausible fact that whenever he needed it no back up or help was anywhere to be seen. Perfection, as they say, is in the detail.… Expand

Prisoners is a masterpiece. The best performances of Hugh Jackman as well as Jake Gyllenhaal.
This movie is the first to actually keep me on the edge of my seat. Prisoners has amazing cinematography with a great use of colors. Hands down one of the best movies of the year! Definitely a potential Oscar® Winner.
The trailer tells not even an eighth of the story. I went in to the theatree eexpecting one thing, and got a whole two and a half hours of twists and genius ideas.
Although it's dark and somewhat scary, everyone has to see this at some point.… Expand

This summer was one for the books. With the exception of "Despicable Me 2", most highly anticipated films were duds, "The Lone Ranger" the biggest disappointment of all. Fortunately this fall seems to be starting off much better, thanks to "Prisoners".
It's a first rate crime thriller with new developments at every turn, making it very difficult to figure out exactly what has happened, as the audience discovers the truth at the same time the characters do. Hugh Jackman as always is excellent as the grieving and understandably manic father of a kidnapped daughter, along with her friend and the neighbor's girl at the same time.
Jake Gyllenhaal turns in a performance as good as Jackman's as the detective assigned to and determined to find the girls alive.
One critic reviewed this movie and slammed it all the way through, and just to show his ignorance managed to re-slam "Mystic River", so it's a safe assumption based on the fact that both are riveting stories and excellent movies, this critic either pans the good stuff just to be a jerk or doesn't know a good movie when it bites his ass.
The movie will keep you guessing throughout I had misidentified the kidnapper at least three times. It is a dark and utterly humorless movie, but for those who like a good crime mystery, it's among the best. While not similar in plot to the superb "Shutter Island", it does remind me of that unpredictable ending too. Whether it's Oscar material is debatable, but it is one of the best movies of the year so far.… Expand

IS Prisoners 2 in the making?? I'll definitely hate to watch it, if does coz there are no rooms for a sequel...........................................

Absolutely outstanding thriller with breathtaking atmosphere! Magnificent performance from Hugh Jackman and others, interesting scenario with some minor flaws, great characters. Conclusion one of the best picture of 2013!

One of the better entries into this year’s crowded fall season is ‘Prisoners’, and it will leave you on the edge of your seat. When a family man’s daughter and her friend go missing; he takes matters into his own hands while the police methodically pursue multiple leads. It’s a rather conventional story that just happens to be very well told, and never short on legitimately tense and shock and shocking moments. But it should be noted that this is not just gripping thriller, it’s also a dense drama. It’s a drama so dense, that it easily came across as being too self serious; no thanks to those slightly excessive performances and the staggering runtime. In short, the film felt a bit overly dramatic. Hugh Jackman stands out as a devout father who, through his desperation, acts on tense misguided emotions to search for his missing daughter. However, Jake Gyllenhaal, while good, doesn't benefit as much from the subtle excesses of his character. He portrays a tattoo laden, eye twitching, heroic figure (in contrast to Jackman’s anti-heroic turn), who carefully leads the investigation for the missing girls. Director, Denis Villeneuve directs his actors consistently, and excels at constructing the tension that lingers throughout this chilly film. Atmosphere is key when it comes to bleak thrillers such as this; and who better than, cinematographer, Roger Deakins to set the dreadful tone. His lenses which captures the grey days and pitch black nights, offset by the clear rain and white snow, adds nuance and a great degree pedigree to something that could have easily been a pedestrian project. ‘Prisoners’ looked great, and through its faults came some rewards; as the performance heavy approach and the solidity of its crime story kept me invested in the characters and truly engaged with the movie on a whole. And what else can I say; its impressive ending didn't hurt one bit.… Expand

Unsettling, gloomy, grimy, atmospheric. Terrific thriller. Decent twists and turns, and overall uncomfortable feeling. What i look for in a movie. Unlike everyone else, i like long movies. Escape

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's a well shot, well paced and brilliantly acted thriller. Even the child actors whom had very little screen time did a great job. It also has some real nail bitting suspense and a consistant tone that kept my attention throughout. Plus it has a great soundtrack that helped keep the dark and depressing tone keep afloat. The ending maybe a little bit to predictable (not the plot twist mind you). This movie will probably be in my top ten of 2013.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The film opens with Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) hunting with his son Ralph (Dylan Minnette). He utters a prayer as the deer wanders into the audience's vision. They say amen and Ralph shoots the deer. They drive home in heavy rain, while Keller gives his son a lecture about being prepared in life. They then return to home and the family goes to their neighbours for Thanksgiving dinner. He we are introduced to the very well written characters such as Franklin Birch (Terrence Howard) and his wife Nancy (Viola Davis). Both Keller and Terrence have young daughters around the same age, and they go outside to play. Keller's daughter Anna (Erin Gerasimovich) asks her parents if she can go with Eliza (Zoe Soul), Terrence's daughter, back to her house to find her red whistle. But the family finds later she never asked her brother to come with her. They don't hear from the girls, and panic sets on.
The girls are declared missing and it is Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is put on the case. He finds a man who was near girls last known location and brings him in. His name is Alex (Paul Dano) but unfortunately isn't able to tell them much else. Without evidence he is released, but Keller is certain Alex took his daughter, and he won't stop until he can find his daughter by any means necessary.
The movie may be slow for people, but it takes its time to develop strong characters and creates a sense of realism from the performances. Hugh Jackman's character is so well done I was reminded of the desperate man performances of the past like James Stewart in Vertigo (1958) or Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven (1992). It's a very enduring character that I believe will be remembered fondly in the years to come. Another interesting performance is by Jake Gyllenhaal as Detective Loki. He's a Detective who cares about the case but is open to all possibilities as film goes on. Even his image with the slicked back hair and tattoos are rather different from the strong moral sense he exhibits.
But aside from the performances the cinematography stands out. The director of photography, Roger Deakins, uses slow zooms and out focus backgrounds with great editing to create a unique visual experience. Visually it compares to Deakins' other work like Skyfall (2012) and No Country for Old Men (2007). In the end Prisoners work on multiple levels and is a great film to see in theatres.… Expand

You don't have to be a parent to experience the fright that comes from watching the new film Prisoners. On my usual strut out of the theater I am asked how I liked the movie, and I give my usual answer "eh, pretty good" until my review gets posted and that person sees what I really thought. With Prisoners, I came out of the theater a little shaken, and as most people probably did, made sure everything was alright every time they heard a noise in their house that night.
The film stars Hugh Jackman as Keller Dover, but the true star is Detective Loki, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Prisoners is the story of Hugh Jackman's family, and Terrence Howard's family, having a fun thanksgiving dinner. The parents stupidly agree and let their children play outside, and that’s where we get the title Prisoners. The trailer is a little deceptive on how this scene plays out but ultimately ends up with the same idea that the kids were kidnapped by someone in an RV.
They find that Alex Jones (Paul Dano) was the driver, and that he basically has the IQ of a ten year old who speaks in this really high pitched mutter. As stupid as they think he is, he manages to quietly drop hints to Jackman that he has his child. Loki, a young detective, is assigned to the case and works mainly with Jackman to uncover what happened.
The movie takes some serious turns that make you share the emotions of the characters. Some of the minor cast members instantly become huge, and new characters are introduced on screen and join the flow of the movie easily. This single film had the best acting so far in 2013 with a very strong cast. Hugh was the parent that is willing to do anything for their child, which for a lot of parents was very relatable to. It's funny though because if he cared so much about his daughter, than he wouldn't have let her essentially run around unattended, in a creepy neighborhood in the first place.
Despite the almost two and a half hour duration, I was almost off my seat on the floor the entire time waiting to hear the dialogue from every character. I cringed many times during the disturbing scenes (there were many), and they even managed to add in a couple jump scares. This is definitely not a movie to expect to half watch and whisper with friends in; because you will miss way too many details that you realize tie in later.
Even after thinking deeply about Prisoners, I was left with too many plot holes, which led to a lot of unanswered questions, especially with the ending. It felt a little bit like Director Denis Villeneuve thought that it wasn't worth adding even more time to the film length to fill in some details, but it might have made the movie worth its longer time.
Though most of the events in the film will probably not happen when you think about it, you are convinced during the film. There would be an unrealistic scene followed by a disturbing one, and you would be more focused on the suspense and disturbance, then the actual facts.
Despite the negatives, Prisoners will entertain you whether it's through the edge of your seat thrill, or the relation to your own family. The film has already won two awards and has only been out nine days, and I won't be surprised to see it earn many more in the future.… Expand

Prisoners is one of those movies that keeps your eyes glued to the screen throughout the whole thing, and when the movie ends, you want more. Hugh Jackman's performance is Oscar-Worthy and Jake Gyllanhaal is amazing, too. With a thought-provoking story in hand, the movie finds ways to use suspense and a great score to back it up. The movie could've been edited a little bit, but other than that, this was a riveting drama that has a complex story at its core, and is extremely hard to forget, and is one of the best movies of 2013. Bravo.… Expand

"Prisoners" doesn't waste its valuable minutes on jabbering nonsense, the film starts telling its story right away. The film is also engaging and it puts the viewer into the detective's role to solve the mystery. Smarter audiences will figure out who the kidnapper is before the culmination, but that doesn't reduce the film's quality, excitement or tension.

Prisoners is a dark emotionally heavy two & half hour movie. The acting performances by Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhall are really well done. Its like Hugh Jackman is really going for an Oscar here. It was a bit on the long side and I thought a few parts of it could have been taken out without affecting the story. You really see a family suffer here and a wild journey to show what lengths a parent will go to, to find their child.… Expand

Absolutely the best film of the year so far. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Great writing and acting(by jackman, gyllenhaal, and dano especially). The shocking ending left me really thinking about the movie. Highly recommended.

The actors tried hard to give their characters some depth (eye twitch Jake) but the story felt like something a 9th grader wrote for his creative writing assignment. I felt like it moved from one predictable moment to the next while, all the time, jumping up and down and waving its hand "Look at me! See what I did here? Isn't it cool?" I may have sat for the 153 minutes and walked away entertained, but that is the only expectation met. The quality of the entertainment was sorely lacking.… Expand

The film was riveting for the first 2 hours with a few lapses in basic police work, but then it got silly! Here comes a spoiler A father who was willing to give up everything to get his daughter back would never have caved in so easily at the end. That annoyed me to no end, but the performances by Jackman and Gyllenhaal were superb and the film is well worth seeing but don't bring anyone squeamish!… Expand

Interesting dark story. Great characters. Excellent casting. I came away from the theater wanting to know background stories about each of the main characters. Somehow I had to explain the whole story to another woman who sat near me. She came away not understanding anything that happened and was shocked when I explained it to her. She said it sounded like I saw a different film than she did. I guess not every movie is for every viewer...… Expand

Perfect direction, powerful story, excellent performances.. A gripping, dark, psychological mystery thriller, which will make you keep at the edge of your seat! Try to find out who is the real culprit of the abduction!! Quickly, you don't have time!!

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I absolutely LOVED this movie! It's full of suspense, and that ending! Wow! 10 of 10 for SURE!! I'd watch this movie again in a HEARTBEAT! Only thing i didn't like about it were the torture scene.… Expand

A very dark and intriguing film, similar to Zodiac, which asks us the question how far we could go to find our missing loved ones, in this case our children. The film is quite long and there is obviously a lot of drama, but it managed to keep me interested throughout the entire movie because the film succeeds in making the viewer feel the pain and despair of the family, partly due to a great and gritty performance by Hugh Jackman, and by making us want to uncover the truth with regard to a few characters. Are some people really as guilty or suspicious as they seem or do we judge too easily because we want to believe that there is more? Prisoners poses us this question and keeps us on the edge of our seats as it takes us on a search for answers.… Expand