Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman was marketed as the star of “Prisoners”. Jackman plays the father of one of two abducted children in this mystery/crime/thriller. But it’s Jake Gyllenhaal who receives most of the screen time as the intense, straight-forward detective in charge of solving the case and saving the kids.
“Prisoners” immediately grabs you, and for the first hour my eyes were completely glued to the screen, as the panic, chaos, and determination to find the two young girls takes hold of their families, the police and the community.
The parents (Terrence Howard and Viola Davis, and Maria Bello who plays the wife of Jackman’s carpenter Keller Dover) assist in the search for several days, while the police (led by Gyllenhaal’s Detective Loki) investigate possible suspects, including Alex (Paul Dano), who lives with his aunt (played by Melissa Leo). The kids had been playing on an RV that Dano was driving a few hours before they went missing. The early scenes of the search and the investigation are heart-pounding.
However, director Denis Villeneuve can’t keep-up the high level of suspense for the second and third acts, when the story really starts to drag. My mind began to wander after having to watch practically the same scenes over and over. The majority of the “twists” are underwhelming – I figured out where all the clues were leading to before the detective (who had a perfect record in solving cases). That’s not a good sign. “Prisoners” starts-out like an interesting episode of “CSI”, but then turns into a dull episode of “Dateline”.
The best thing about “Prisoners” is the ensemble cast. When on screen, Jackman is very believable as a desperate father willing to do anything to get his child back. Gyllenhaal is solid, and Howard, Davis, and Bello all have their showcase scenes. Dano and Leo are also quite good.
“Prisoners” is rated R for language and some intense violence, including disturbing images and scenes of torture. I wasn’t surprised to see a few older audience members leave halfway through. Even though it’s effective on many levels, “Prisoners” never “wows”. This script could’ve gone in so many other (better) directions. There are a few quality scenes, but the plot has some holes and moments which stretch logic. Overall, it just doesn’t provide enough emotional impact.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Prisoners” gets a B-.