Prisoners Movie Review

Prisoners (2013)

Rent Prisoners on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Aaron Guzikowski
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo, Maria Bello, Terrence howard, Paul Dano, Dylan Minnette
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.

Verdict
This looks at vigilantism. How far is too far? The mood is dark and intense for nearly the entire movie. It's a great script, but it's also directed so well. It does such a great job of never showing too much and leaving just enough to the imagination. The entire movie has this sense of dread, about what's happening and about what we expect will happen. The way this wraps up and how all the pieces fit together are the culmination of a stellar and dark script.
Watch It.

Review
Villeneuve is great. This was his first movie I saw, and I've watched every movie he's made since. When he was announced to direct Blade Runner 2049, I knew he'd deliver after Arrival and Sicario.

From the start this movie has a strong sense of dread with the premise. This doesn't take long to get into the plot, providing just enough character development beforehand. Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) and Franklin Birch's (Terrence Howard) daughters go missing. Keller blames everyone else. The script certainly impresses quickly, due to pacing and information provided. Out of the gate, the quality of this movie is noticeable. Great directing leads to a great mood.

Gyllenhaal is great in this, though he's great in everything, with such a skill at creating characters that have distinct mannerisms. He plays Detective Loki, and we see Loki eating in an empty diner. With that and a few visible tattoos, it makes us think we know something about him. Loki doesn't seem like a cop.

Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal play Alex Jones, Detective Loki

When the first suspect, Alex (Paul Dano) is released, Keller attacks him in front of the police station. It's rash, but you understand that he's upset, scared and raging because his daughter is missing if not worse. That becomes the question. How far do you take it and how much leeway should cops give Keller?
The editing really makes this as the movie only includes what's necessary. This takes us up to an event and then cuts, leaving us to wonder, presuming something happened. The tension builds as we speculate. We see Keller approach Alex later and then the scene ends. Is Keller going to kidnap Alex? We must wait to find out what happens, and it's the waiting that drives this movie. This movie leaves plenty to the imagination which is often better than anything a movie can produce.

Keller wants to blame someone, and he's not going to blame himself. He's been told Alex didn't do it, but if that's true why haven't the cops arrested anyone else? Keller has to unleash his rage and grief on someone. The problem is that vigilante justice isn't justice if you don't get the right person. We see this vigilantism through Franklin's perspective. His grief is a balance to Keller's rage. Franklin is quick to capitulate though. He never takes a step back and calls this what it is.

Hugh Jackman plays Keller Dover

There's a parallel between what Keller is doing to his suspect and what he thinks the suspect is doing. Keller thinks this guy has his daughter imprisoned, so he imprisons this guy. Keller's imprisonment becomes torture. The movie does a great job of toying with our expectations and subverting them.

This whole movie is dread, because no matter what happens there's no way for this to be a completely happy ending. Alex is trapped physically, but Keller is trapped by grief. His actions won't free him. How will Keller resolve what he's done? Even if this guy was guilty, Keller has gone too far. This case takes some strange turns, but I like how all the pieces fit together. Everything has a purpose, and this movie never shows us too much. That's why this never feels as long as the two and a half hours it is. The reveal of this case is beyond the scope I ever imagined. At the end, we're left to think about what Keller has done. People often flippantly talk about the need for vigilantism, but this shows how that can quickly harm everyone involved.