At first, I wasn’t even planning on seeing this film until my wife asked me to go with her. I’m sure glad I went because Prisoners was that good. Being a father I was torn and emotionally connected to Keller Dover’s (Hugh Jackman) struggles throughout the movie.
The leading character Keller Dover is a very religious family man. He and his family attend a Thanksgiving dinner with a close friend Franklin Birch (Terrence Howard) and his family. At one point, each of their daughters becomes missing. Their search for the children comes up short even with assistance from local law enforcement. Playing a successful detective solving every case given to him, Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) leads the investigation into the disappearance. Throughout the film, Loki battles not only against piecing the puzzle together but also against the path of a determined father. A determined Keller becomes confident in a possible suspect named Alex Jones (Paul Dano) and will do everything in his power to find the location of his daughter.
Hugh Jackman does an outstanding job of portraying a struggling emotional father, doing whatever it takes to put his family back together. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is nominated for several awards for his performance. As for Jake Gyllenhaal, I didn’t really understand what Director Denis Villeneuve was trying to convey. Was Loki supposed to be a tough guy or a straight-to-the-book detective? Personally, I wasn’t convinced with him being a tough guy even with all his tattoos. There were several scenes where Loki would get involved in suspicious activity leading into his investigations and hardly ever requested assistance. I did however enjoy his connection with being the detective looking for answers to his case.
There was plenty of good acting from the rest of the cast. From the distrait mothers, Nancy Birch (Viola Davis) and Grace Dover (Mario Ballo) to Alex’s Aunt Holly Jones (Melissa Leo), all perform up to par and more. Prisoners really come off dark throughout most of the film with a hint of mystery at the end. You don’t have to be a religious person or have children to enjoy Prisoners. The religious aspect of Keller’s character really doesn’t affect the rest of the movie. There are several twists and turns and just when I thought I had things figured out, the film would give a different clue.
From a father’s point of view, I can tell you I was drawn into Keller’s will to find his daughter. This was even a scene from Hugh Jackman that had me so convinced I just about cried thinking of my daughter. The conversation is between Keller and Loki while they are sitting in the car. Keller starts shouting at Loki about how his daughter is expecting her father to rescue her, not a detective. In my opinion, spend a few extra dollars and see Prisoners in the theaters, you won’t be disappointed.