Prisoners review

PRISONERS:

INTENSE, HEART POUNDING, AND SUSPENSEFUL FROM START TO FINISH!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** 1/2 out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal in Prisoners

            So far this year, there were a couple of movies that almost freaked the hell out of me like The Conjuring and The Place Beyond the Pines, they were intense and very suspenseful, but I enjoyed them. However out of all the films I’ve seen, the latest thriller drama, Prisoners actually succeeded in filling my mind with insane suspense and gritty moments, thanks to its intelligently crafted premise, great acting, and filled with heart pounding suspense and gritty violence, this movie pretty much makes The Purge look like The Hangover.

            The film stars Hugh Jackman (X-Men franchise, Les Miserables) and Terrence Howard (Iron Man, Hustle and Flow, Red Tails) as two fathers whose families are celebrating Thanksgiving together, everything seems to be going fine, until their six and seven-year-old daughters are seen playing on a creepy old RV, with only minutes to spare, the two of them are abducted by a deranged kidnapper (Paul Dano). So it’s up to their dads and a reluctant detective (Jake Gyllenhaal-Jarhead, Brothers, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time) to find them and put this insane psychopath in custody, in a series of twisted surprises and gritty moments.

            Prisoners, while graphic at times is very entertaining and filled with suspense and often frightening scenes involving child abduction, torture, and twisted surprises around every corner. Besides gripping thrills and a good story arc, the film’s cast is very enjoyable to watch especially Jackman, Gyllenhaal, and Howard, other than the main trio, Oscar® winner, Viola Davis (The Help), Maria Bello (A History of Violence, Thank You For Smoking, Sin City), and Melissa Leo (Homicide: The Movie, The Fighter, Oblivion) co-star in the movie, and they all do outstanding jobs portraying their characters.

            The movie isn’t exactly super violent, despite the fact I said it was an intense flick. Even though it gets pretty gritty at times, the film’s also emotionally dramatic, which can be very intense, especially in a movie like this.

The drama and intense moments are all done very well, with some very good writing and superior acting by the cast, you can really feel the pain the characters are going through. It’s truly something that will grab your attention the minute the film begins and most likely leave you satisfied and a tad disturbed by the time it’s done, believe me I was almost breathless at the end of the movie, so that’s got to mean something.