Prisoners Review

Release Year: 2013

Directer: Denis Villeneuve*

Running time: 153 minutes

Film does not have to be limited to entertainment purposes. When entertainment is the purpose of a movie, that is fine and even respectable (much of the time), but when a movie takes up greater, risky ambitions and achieves them, it is a moving and applaudable feat. With Prisoners, I was excited to see Hugh Jackman star in what I was told to be a neo-noir feature, as I am a big fan of both of these elements, but the movie was willing to give me much more. Not all at once, and not more than necessary, but definitely more than just a way to spend 2.5+ hours, and with a runtime like that I admit I was nervous how it would be filled. So very thankfully, not one of these minutes were wasted and this film ended up being a viscerally gripping venture I could not have anticipated but will not under-appreciate.

Starting with the visual presentation of the movie, it was already mind-blowingly real from the powerful opening shot. It somehow felt more real than nearly any movie I’ve ever seen and I cannot explain why. Denis Villeneuve proves himself to be one of the greatest filmmakers there is, and not for the last time: paired with the bleak but intentional cinematography of Roger Deakins, every occurrence in the movie feels just right. By this I do not mean that the movie feels forced or contrived by any means, but what makes it “just right” is that the dialogue and motions and tension all feel remarkably realistic, like they are unfolding without any assistance. With a movie concerned with depicting one realistic scenario after another, it achieves its purpose with flying colors and a starkly grey atmosphere.

These scenarios are grim, however. Hugh Jackman plays a patriotic family man trying to find his young daughter and her friend, with Jake Gyllenhaal playing an expert detective who might just be stumped for the first time. It is alluring and more than Shakespearean to watch these raw but original characters share a goal and yet be at odds the whole movie. The plot contains constant conflict: conflict of the mind, conflict of the heart… but the most intriguing is perhaps the spiritual conflict that permeates the movie. It is refreshing to have an explicitly Christian protagonist, and the film’s writing was far more faithful to this element of his character than I’d expected (hats way off yet again to Villeneuve and to screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski). With the realistically belligerent landscape this movie forms, however, Jackman’s Keller Dover is not keenly left out of the conflict, and sees his faith tested in brutal ways. Without spoiling the plot, I was extremely impressed with the way this movie balanced the value of the Christian faith with the trials Jesus’ followers face: the film is careful to present problems realistically, but Dover’s faith does have an influential and admirable power worth preserving.

Besides being a landmark in its visuals and its worldview, Prisoners is masterful in how its story is told as well. Despite the gruesome subject matter, the film’s beautifully and meticulously and intensely moving narrative is presented in such a unique way that makes me want to view this film again. The film noir components are indeed present, but used for the story rather than in addition to it. No movie has captivated me quite like Prisoners and its originality and raw intensity are what gripped my attention and kept me valuably invested the whole time. It does go too far in its intensity… way far… but it is for the sake of a story that is not only worth telling, but one that is moving and intentional the whole time. The shock value is just that. Value. The sophistication even in gruesome narrative material is what sets it apart from most movies and even many great ones. I would refrain from easily recommending Prisoners due to its subject matter and how brutally but accurately it depicts it, and can affirm that despite its quality I could never call this a film for everyone or even the majority of people. It does not mess around.

Sometimes a movie is the “perfect film.” Not that it is flawless, as this is unachievable, but when looking at all the decisions that went into it, none of them feel like they should have been made differently. The film is magnificent and you can’t imagine it another way, and the flaws or less favorable aspects are what make it more human. They ground the film. For me, Inception is one of these films, Drive is one of these films, and Prisoners is definitely one of these films.

*One of my favorite directors