Prisoners (Film Review)

As the camera begins to roll, Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners begins with the Lord’s Prayer:

“Our Father, Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.”

The prayer is said by one of our main characters Keller Dover (played by Hugh Jackman) while out hunting deer; killing one for a Thanksgiving feast.  For Dover there’s more than enough reasoning for taking the deer’s life besides food.  Deer have become overpopulated in Pennsylvania (where the film takes place), resulting in an over-consumption of vegetation which can lead to the young fawns starving during the winter.  This is Dover’s reasoning for killing them, and many may agree that he makes sense.  Later on the same prayer is used by the same character, close to taking another life.  This time however it’s not a deer, but a human being that Dover’s close to killing; and many may also agree that for what this person has done, it’s acceptable to take his life.

The plot goes that on Thanksgiving Day, the Dover family goes over to their neighbors (the Birchs) to enjoy dinner.  Horror strikes when both families’ youngest daughters disappear after leaving the Birch’s house to get something over at the Dover’s; along with a van that was creepily parked next to the house.  Suspecting that the person in the van abducted their children, the families inform the police who shortly after find it parked outside a gas station thanks to detective Loki (played by Jake Gyllenhaal).  The owner of the van Alex Jones (Paul Dano) is taken into custody, but is found innocent with a lack of evidence to convict due to no bodies being found.  However Keller Dover still believes Alex to be the kidnapper and shortly after Alex’s release from jail, kidnaps him and holds him in an old apartment building; deciding to take justice into his own hand and use whatever means necessary to get the information out of Alex.  Meanwhile, detective Loki begins to search elsewhere for the missing girls, slowly discovering more unusual events that suggest the case may be bigger than just kidnapping.  How is Alex connected to the string of other horrific events?  And was it Alex after all who took the kids prisoner, or has Mr. Dover just became the very person he believes he’s holding captive?

As the film progresses it goes from being a thriller-drama to more of a thriller-epic.  The plot keeps on expanding and evolving from its initial idea of a kidnapping, along with its morals and themes.  The more Prisoners advances, the more complex the case gets; causing me to become uncertain over what the mystery’s solution will be, as well as drawing me more and more into the story.  This mystery theme works perfectly with the film’s slow progression, using long pauses and slow camera zooms to build upon the already fierce amounts of suspense and excitement.

Prisoners goes great lengths to provide not only first-class cinematography, but some great use of editing as well.  The cold, bitter look of Pennsylvania during a frosty winter adds to the film’s dark theme.  The snow shown here isn’t light and fluffy, it’s bleak, muddy and has a tendency to switch back and forth to freezing rain.  Use of wide and long angle shots emphasize the size of the region, the full scale of the story, and the desperation our main cast feels for trying to find these two small children in such a massive, forest covered area.

Along with the style and plot come the actors and characters that all perform terrifically.  I personally liked Hugh Jackman’s performance the most; I think it’s because I just love desperate characters that are on the brink of going past the point of no return (or already have).  Jackman perfectly plays a man who’s beyond desperate and last resort involves kidnapping and torturing.  He’s a character who’s sworn to always protect his family no matter what, and when he fails to do so (along with some unintended accusations from his wife) becomes strained with guilt and grief.  He’s not a bad man however, and is intelligent enough to realize that what he’s doing to Alex is sinful (he’s a religious man who can’t finish the Lord’s Prayer after getting to “as we forgive those who trespass against us”); desperately trying to fight off the creeping doubt that perhaps Alex was not actually involved. 

The combination of Prisoner’s absorbing plot, wonderful casting, and beautiful cinematography brings the film together in a stunning epic that dives right into the heart and soul of man.  The look of Prisoners is both visually engaging and a treat to watch; adding to the well made mystery encompassing the film.  This is a film where its slow pacing will not dissuade average “fast-paced” viewers, as its mystery and characters will keep your attention to the grand finale.