1. TheBigRedRat

   Oct 7, 2013

   10

   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

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
2. MovieGoer14

   Sep 20, 2013

   10

   Prisoners is a deep dark film, with a first rate cinematography, breathtaking performances, riveting editing, incredible dialog, and pretty much one of the best movies of all year. What makes this movie distinctive, is the opening silent sequence, the atmosphere its self, it is chilling and a gripping thriller, it is a tense talk film that kept me at the edge of my seat. It is maybe the best performance ever coming from Hugh Jackman, he is magnificent in this movie, the villains and the good ones, everyone in this movie has something wrong with them, and this is one of the things that I loved in this film. Prisoners is one of the best movies all year and highly recommended, I loved Prisoners.… Expand

   • 10 of 11 users found this helpful
3. MovieGuys

   Sep 22, 2013

   9

   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

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
4. Thegodfatherson

   Sep 20, 2013

   9

   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 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

   • 2 of 2 users found this helpful
5. jeremyp

   Sep 23, 2013

   8

   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

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. The_Buu

   Oct 2, 2013

   8

   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

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
7. amysusername

   Sep 21, 2013

   1

   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

   • 5 of 18 users found this helpful

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