Prisoners
A
review
September
22, 2013
Viewed
September 21, 2013
****.5
out of *****
Evil is sweet in the
beginning but bitter in the end.
Talmud
Talmud
We
are madmen underneath our façade of self-control. We are connected by the driving urge of
justice in a world where darkness threatens our sanity, our state of mind. Evil comes to us when we least expect it,
when it invades our homes, and our hearts.
What then are we capable of doing when we are threatened? Will we forsake our own mortal souls searching
endlessly to the question of evil, and the answers to the same questions that
have plagued mankind since his existence?
The
nature of evil and faith are heady subjects for any filmmaker to take on in any
capacity, but that is exactly what one will encounter with the mind-blowing and
searing thriller that is Prisoners. This
sharply drawn, and densely plotted story follows only a week in a life of two
families torn apart by the most unspeakable horrors, but it has the look and
feel of an instant classic in the genre.
This is a film that will leave even the most prepared viewer shaken to
their foundation as the film presents its characters and events without
assistance of moral certainty to assess their actions. The film packs enough emotion into its
two hour twenty minute running time that most audiences may need to erase its
images from the mind at film’s end to escape the nightmare. This to better erase the psychological
warfare that is needed to endure the intricate screenwriting, directing,
cinematography, editing, sounds, and an ensemble cast that is nothing short of
spectacular.
Prisoners is the creation of writer,
Aaron Guzikowski and director, Denis Villeneuve, both men announcing their presence
as major talents who by given structure and form to this world draw the audience
in almost from the opening second.
Villeneuve’s sharp direction creates a claustrophobic feel to the film. His work is extraordinary. Adding to his already sterling resume, cinematographer
Roger Deakins’ work here is nothing short of amazing.
On
Thanksgiving Day, two families, the Dovers and the Birchs are plunged into a
nightmare. Their two youngest, both
girls go missing in the span of minutes.
The police arrest a suspect shortly after, a deeply withdrawn young man
whose low IQ, and lack of evidence allows his hasty release. Convinced of his guilt and seeking answers,
Keller Dover takes the law into his own hand kidnapping the young man to make
him talk. This culminates in a chain of
events that spiral out of control for everyone involved.
The
film makes good use of its small town locales to embed this nightmare
landscapes with something familiar.
The film utilizes even its quieter moments to establish a sense of
dread. Nowhere is this more readily seen
than in the candlelight sequence for the girls at midpoint of the drama, where
the sequence moves from deeply moving to terrifying. The film asks a simple question of its
viewer, what would you do?
Seven
of our most talented actors and actresses today populate the cast and they all
give noteworthy performances. As the
accused young man, Paul Dano proves once again that as an actor he needs only
the character as written. As his aunt
and protector Melissa Leo offers another in a line of performances for this
actress to disappear completely into.
Viola Davis and Mario Bello give us two different viewpoints on the
mothers given to their grief. This may
be the only flaw in this story that both their characters, and the work by
Terrence Howard as Franklin Birch is given less development.
The
film belongs to two actors who have shown time and again their versatility as
performers. In performances that
establish both as potential award nominees, Jake Gyllenhall and Hugh Jackman
offer two variations of men driven by the need for answers. Gyllenhall’s police detective Loki is the
finest work this thirty-three year old actor has provided yet. As a lover of film and acting I would be
hard pressed to name any actor who could have brought the talent, execution,
and anger into the role that Mr. Jackman has provided here. The two men driven to extremes are the
differing sides of one another and their brief scenes together sparkle with an intensity
that is keenly felt.
From
its opening moments with the Lord’s Prayer spoken softly off camera without
opening credits to its stunning and powerful conclusion, Prisoners grabs the viewer
fully with its dark vision of human behavior. The twist and turns the film takes are a
journey that despite the disturbing subject matter is worth taking. This is one of the year’s finest films so far. It should not be missed.
Tommy
Key
Rated R( violent content including
torture, language, thematic material)
