Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) seems to be a man of simple means and the simple life. He and his son Ralph (Dylan Minnette) return home from a hunting trip on Thanksgiving day. They, along with the rest of the Kellen clan: mother Grace (Maria Bello) and daughter Anna (Erin Gerasimovich) join Franklin (Terrence Howard) and Nancy Birch(Viola Davis), along with their children, for dinner. While taking a walk outside, Anna and youngest Birch child Joy (Kyla Drew Simmons) begin to climb on the ladder of a seemingly abandoned camper parked on their street. Ralph and eldest Eliza Birch (Zoe Borde) notice some noises permeating from inside. The quartet high tail it before some disgruntled inhabitant turns sour for the innocent intrusion. After dinner, Anna and Joy sneak out alone, disregarding the condition from their parents of older sibling supervision. Soon, it becomes chilling clear that the pair are missing. Ralph tells Keller and Franklin of the mysterious RV. But by the time they go looking, it’s long gone.
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A call to the authorities puts loner Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) on the case. He is successful in tracking down the suspect vehicle, parked in an auxiliary lot of a gas station. Spooked by incoming officers, the driver quickly puts the machine in gear and drives straight into a nearby tree. Strangely enough, he doesn’t avoid arrest. Det. Loki questions Alex Jones (Paul Dano), but he’s predictably cryptic and dismissive when grilled, conveying his naivety and innocence. Not convinced of his story, Loki investigates his current residence, owned and occupied by his aunt Holly (Melissa Leo). She paints a picture of a shy boy that “hasn’t been in trouble a day in his life.” After a thorough search, no evidence of a kidnapping was found in Jone’s transportation. A manhunt issues with the fathers running point, but it turns into a fruitless effort. The Detect visits the Dovers and explains to them that despite the obvious oddities of the suspect, the lack of “a smoking gun” coupled with his “ten year old” mental capacity isn’t enough to bring him up on charges, and he will be releases after the legal 48 hour hold. Unsatisfied with the local’s handling of Jones, Keller begins his own “investigation” of sorts while Loki looks into other leads. Will the father’s obsession with the creepy perp lead to the truth, or distract him from real answers before it’s too late?
I have mixed emotions about this work. The overwhelming positives come from the stellar collection of on-screen talent. Through all of the claw popping and vampire slaying, it’s easy to dismiss Hugh Jackman as some ripped up action star. Jackman can be a great actor when the role allows him freedom of range (see The Prestige and The Fountain for notable examples), and this is one of those opportunities. An initial impression of rough, gruff, “man of the land” patriarchal type is overtaken by a frightened, frayed man at the end of his wits. There are a couple of instances that display raw heartbreak sift through the rugged exterior of a father that believes he is losing the battle for his daughter’s life. It’s palpable, and you feel it. To act as a counter balance, Jake Gyllenhaal largely stands toe-to-toe with the Aussie in shared scenes, and in the larger scope of his own performance. Calm, cool, calculated may be the character’s M.O., but it’s clear to see the more time passes without solid leads the more it eats at his own perception of how he’s handling these convoluted circumstances. He also brings enough personal touch to the screen that it’s easy to relate to Detective Loki, and actually becomes the audience’s biggest relateable link to the proceedings. This might be the most impressed I’ve ever been of Gyllenhaal. Maybe. Kudos to director Denis Villeneuve should be offered for putting these two in a position to knock their respective portions out of the park.
One misstep is the disparity in screen time for the rest of the actors. After watching The Help about a year ago, Viola Davis still resonates with me to this day. Her pervasive prowess is largely underutilized. In her “one shining moment,” it’s easy to see what makes her one of the movie biz’s most exciting performers. But can we please get the lady more than three minutes of meaningful position in front of the lens, please? The same can really be said for Bello and Howard. Because of the plot, Howard gets more than the aforementioned two, but he also doesn’t really have an impactful effect on things like he could have. Maria’s transformation as a glowing mother to a medicated zombie doesn’t see the dedicated attention I think it deserved. Melissa Leo’s contribution comes later and is quite prevalent, but a few more moment with her wouldn’t have hurt matters, either. I get it, there are time and pacing elements to consider. Prisoners, though, tips the scale at over 150 minutes as it is. At that point, what’s another 15-30 minutes to reaffirm casting directors Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee’s awesome assembly? The film would have been better for it. Also, the reveal didn’t “pay off” like I initially thought it would. An hour and a half into things, it seems like there is a HUGE twist or two coming that will just blindside you. And although the unwrapped mystery is surprising, it’s not jaw dropping either. I give due credit to young screenplay composer Aaron Guzikowski for writing a tight and trimmed story while successfully being able to hide key plot points “in broad daylight,” so to speak. Still, the “crux” of the intrigue didn’t crush me like the weight of the first two acts suggested.
At this point, the presentation of Blu-ray for a drama driven piece is what it is: crisp and clean 1080p resolution with a very nice 5.1 track to accompany. Not to say it’s not good and that I don’t appreciate the hard work put in to the release, but there isn’t anything “special” about it either. The worst part of the disc is the lack of a lengthy special feature selections. And of the two offered, one feels like an extended trailer of sorts. Something is better than nothing, I suppose.
Prisoners – Every Moment Matters – Jackman and Gyllenhaal detail the constructive feud between father and detective in how each is handling the investigation.
Prisoners – Powerful Performances – Members of the stellar cast and Denis Villeneuve talking about how the high level of acting raised the bar for storytelling aspects of the production from frame to frame.
Own Prisoners on Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital Download 12/17