"Prisoners” plays like several different movies wrapped into a single viewing experience. Only one of the films feels out of place, though. This is a testament to the writing, which has the focus of a predator zeroing in on its prey, and the directing, which places your head in a vice and slowly tightens the grip. By the time you hear your skull cracking, you’ll be too captivated to pull away.
On the surface, “Prisoners” is a child abduction thriller. Two neighboring families come together on Thanksgiving Day to celebrate the holiday; each has a younger daughter that disappears while walking together to the other house to retrieve a toy. The police assign a detective to the case and begin looking for the girls.
One of the fathers, a religious conservative and a survivalist, refuses to sit idly by while the police try to find them. When the authorities capture a suspect but then let him go due to lack of evidence, he abducts the man and then locks him in an abandoned apartment building, where he tries to beat information out of him. This proves difficult, as the man has the mental capacity of a 10-year-old.
When “Prisoners” focuses on the father and the other parents, it becomes a thoughtful drama that probes the effects of tragedy on the human soul. Does the abduction change the parents or merely bring out the darkness within them? The survivalist seems halfway there when the movie begins, so the answer to this question is better found in the reactions of the other parents.
Given what the detective assigned to the case uncovers, I believe “Prisoners” is about the evil residing in everyone, and living behind closed doors down the street. As he investigates the disappearances, he finds things that would make the neck hair on every good Christian stand on end. While following the detective, “Prisoners” feels like a police procedural that offers a glimpse of the fetid underbelly of society and the half-digested corpse spilling out of it.
A twist near the end of “Prisoners” sends the movie into new territory, one on which I’m still chewing. The revelation makes sense, given what came before, but it blindsided me and, at least upon first viewing, seemed tonally off. It also comes across as conventional, whereas the rest of the movie is braver and more daring. But, like I wrote, I was too captivated by that point to look away.
Don’t get me wrong: I love when a movie keeps me guessing. Right up to the end, I had no clue what would happen. That’s not easy in this day and age, when audiences are spoon-fed recycled plots and movie trailers give away what should be kept secret.
“Prisoners” deserves praise not just for its writing and directing, but also its acting. Hugh Jackman plays Keller Dover, the survivalist. Having grown accustomed to seeing Jackman as Wolverine in the X-Men movies, I felt as though I was watching a newly discovered actor. The weight he lost to play the role gives his face a taut, intense look, like his skin is a moment from tearing and revealing the desperation and anger burning within him. While Dover comes across as uncontrolled, Jackman’s performance is anything but undisciplined. He nails every moment, including the deeply emotional ones.
I also like the way Jake Gyllenhaal played Detective Loki. He’s twitchy and nervous, like a man who is uncomfortable in his skin.
“Prisoners” slowly works its way to a tense conclusion. As it resolves its story lines, it becomes less about its themes and more about what happens, but that doesn’t make it less powerful. Besides, it circles back to its themes in its final seconds and gives viewers something to think about: Pay close attention to your surroundings, because you don’t know what lies beneath the surface. The final shot is killer.
“Prisoners” is not a date movie. The subject matter – child abduction, pedophilia, and torture – warrant a different mindset. But it is great filmmaking, and that alone makes it worth seeing.
Three-and-a-half stars out of four. Rated R for disturbing violent content and language.