Prisoners (2013)

One of my favorite directors, Denis Villeneuve, directed this movie and with his other notable works, such as Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, I decided it was time to check it out. This movie held up incredibly well compared to Villeneuve's other work with a performance by Jackman truly Oscar-worthy. This movie is best described as a slow burn, expertly keeping the audience on the edge of their seat while planting a seed of doubt in their head. The movie not only allows the audience to slowly connect the dots but reveals the twist in such a perfect way, never allowing the audience to get one step ahead. Even up to the end, I had no idea what would happen next. This movie is an exceptional thriller and I strongly recommend it to any fans of the genre. It could do more to push the medium but there is never a moment without tension. I found myself biting my nails the entire way through. I also like that the movie was strongly interconnected with very few loose ends, all the questions that we have throughout are answered by the end of the movie.

The acting in this movie is superb, with Hugh Jackman able to utilize his body language to subtly hint at his inner thoughts. Jake Gyllenhaal was also exceptional as both characters are so human. Both characters are tight-nit, three-dimensional people with traits and flaws. Jackman seamlessly blends into the role he plays. A scene that sticks out amongst the rest is when Keller (Jackman) finds the whistle in the bottom of the pit before praying for his daughter's safety. His body is curled and his voice hoarse and the audience has no idea what is to happen to him or to his daughter.

I also particularly like the cinematography with its bleak color palette, primarily utilizing whites, greys, yellows, and blacks. Contrast is excellently used to highlight silhouettes and add tension to moments, as the lack of color drags you into this dark world that the characters exist in. Lighting is also used very well as they add fear and dread when the only visible light is from either a flashlight or the from the hallway as the detective begins to descend down the stairs.

Prisoners play with several religious ideas yet aren't fully fleshed out as only several lines hint towards this idea of a fall from grace. The general theme is that the kidnapper takes kids out of spite in order to create "demons" in those who will sacrifice anything to find their children. The villain's motive is slightly 2 dimensional and wasn't slightly silly that after the death of her son she needed to exact revenge on god. The movie also poses the question of the moral ambiguity of Keller's actions as he tortures the man who he thinks kidnapped his daughter, is doing the wrong thing for the right reasons okay at times and is there such thing as a necessary evil?

On the other hand, the symbol of the whistle is perfectly utilized as it is mentioned early in the movie before the audience quickly forgets of its importance. Yet, this whistle is a perfect example of Chekhov's gun. The whistle is proof when Keller falls in the hole that someone did indeed kidnap her daughter. It also becomes a symbol of hope as it the last thing the audience hears. Before the movie cuts to black, we hear faint whistling before Loki (Gyllenhaal) turns towards the sound. This ends the movie perfectly as it adds a certain level of ambiguity and leaves a lasting thought in the viewer's head. This movie sticks in the viewer's heads as it doesn't tell you what is good and bad making Keller's character morally murky. I give this movie a very strong 9 out of 10 for its phenomenal acting, good cinematography, and great script although themes could have been better fleshed out and developed more clearly.
- GL

9 / 10


(Above) My favorite shot:


And my two runners up (below):








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