There's a heavy pall that hangs over every frame of Prisoners. If one were
to walk into it without knowing a thing, they would recognize instantly that
this is not going to be a pleasure trip. The film is cold, wet, the emotions
crippling and ugly as sin, but you won't be able to look away no matter how
tough it gets. Shedding every ounce of glamour, Hugh Jackman retains a
Wolverine-esque ferocity as Keller Dover, a rugged carpenter in a small
blue-collar Pennsylvania town. On a dreary Thanksgiving Day, Keller and his
wife Grace (Maria Bello) take their two kids to dinner at the home of Franklin
and Nancy Birch (Terrence Howard and Viola Davis). It's a relatively quiet and
seemingly normal experience for the friendly couples, but it all goes terrible
wrong when it's discovered that the families' two youngest daughters have gone
missing.
Tension mounts and concern turns to hysteria after a sweep of the
neighborhood turns up nothing. Keller learns that the girls had been playing on
a parked RV that someone may have been hiding in. The lonely but cocky
Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is assigned to the case, having never left one
unresolved in his career. When he comes across that same RV later in the night,
inside he finds the panicked and clearly disturbed Alex Frost (Paul Dano), who
makes a failed attempt to flee the scene. The cops can get nothing out of the
barely audible and mentally-impaired Frost after a lengthy interrogation, and
it drives Keller into a rage when they release their only suspect into the care
of his loving aunt (Melissa Leo). 
A fierce survivalist who prides himself on being prepared for any
eventuality, Keller is blindsided by what has happened and his inability to do
anything about it. Realizing that all his preparation and order failed to protect the people that he loves, Keller quickly grows
frustrated at the lack of evidence against Frost, and Loki's lack of headway on
the case. So Keller descends into chaos; kidnapping Frost, locking him away in a secret location, and torturing him mercilessly in hopes of gaining a confession.
Written by Aaron Guzikowski, his script turning up on the Black List a few
years ago, Prisoners is a deeply unnerving and nuanced morality play that
forces you to examine these deeply flawed characters from multiple
perspectives. Is there any reason under the sun that Keller's actions can be
justified? What if Frost is guilty? Do the ends justify the means? But even
worse, what does Keller do if Frost is actually innocent? Even Loki, who is
clearly doing his best under an intense amount of public and personal pressure,
is a victim of his past success. He's overconfident, even cocky, and dismissive
of anything that doesn't totally agree with his own theories.
This is masterful filmmaking by Villeneuve, who already has a Best Foreign
Language Oscar nomination for the equally-affecting Incendies. Prisoners
is a first-rate exercise in evoking dread and intrigue, and while not on
the same level of violence as David Fincher's Seven or Zodiac,
the atmosphere of terror is just as palpable. At 2 1/2 hours, the film is an endurance
test, one that blankets you in the ugliness of revenge and obsession.
Villeneuve pitches each scene perfectly, creating an endless reservoir of
tension with an unnatural ease. 
We've never seen Jackman in a role like this before, all righteous fury and
open wounds, but connected to something human and genuine. We understand
Keller's deteriorating emotional grip, as he understands the statistics on
missing person's cases. With each day that passes the less likely his daughter
will be found alive. Perhaps best of all is Gyllenhaal, who seems to have
completely reinvented himself playing tenacious cops on the hunt. His Loki is
considerably moodier and more world-weary than the cowboy cop he played in End
of Watch, but he has more of an authoritative presence than he ever has
before. How he can go back to making romantic comedies after this is
unfathomable. There are numerous twists, red herrings, and deceptions that will kick you in the teeth, and perhaps it takes one swerve too many in the final stretch. At its most blunt, the film is brutal and unflinching, and probably won't make for repeat viewing to the casual movie crowd. Prisoners is a top notch, fearless thriller with a darkly frayed edge, and it won't easily be forgotten.
