Beside the acting I can't find nothing special about this movie. Yes, the story is interesting but the movie moves so slowly that in the end it felt like a five hour piece.
I would have given it 10/10 if they completed the last scene.
There was so much about this film that I wanted to review favourably, but after 2.5 hours its weaknesses became irritating to a distracting extent.
The obvious comparison here has to be Se7en - but where Se7en makes successful commitments in tone and character, Prisoners tries to walk a line that leaves the viewer perplexed and unfulfilled. Jackman's character does become beastly, but never actually pulls the trigger in the dramatic fashion of Pitt. The realistic atmosphere is undermined by the coincidental presence of several weirdos, including one who seems to exist as nothing but a red herring. The motivation of the villian feels dull and arbitrary after the long wait for a reveal that never really builds, but just sort of happens (not unlike most of the plot of Bladder Runner 2049).
Before Se7en and True Detective this might have offered more material for discussion, but it comes off plain in comparison to both. The shooting was fine and the soundtrack was consistently ominous. Ghyllenhaal and Jackman seemed like imperfect castings, though the former clearly tried his best with the material he had (for a detective who has supposedly solved EVERY ONE of his cases, his character was much more lackadaisical than you might expect). What the hell the police were actually doing for most of the film remains an unsolved mystery. The decision to fade out rather than show several significant scenes, including the final one, is another.
There's some good in this, but the bad was too fundamental to ignore. The gripping suspense of Sicario and Arrival is much preferred.
Clues have been laid out throughout the story. The plot knits seamlessly little by little. There is always moments of suspense through the use of silence and character shot. And what makes this movie powerful is terrific performances from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gylenhaal. The ending was bittersweet and left me with feeling of uneasiness. Moral of the story: never take action into your own hand.
Villains explained :
That man in the basement it was Holly's husband. Loki asked the priest how the man got down there and the priest said that he came to him to confess about kidnapping and killing kids over the past 20 something years. He said they had kidnapped and murdered 16 children and he felt no remorse and would continue to do so. The priest lured him back to his house and he locked him in the basement to die.
What you were expecting to be a cult was only between Holly and her husband and it was prevalent theme throughout the movie.
War With God: I think we can all agree that they lived in a fairly religious town and Holly and her husband were probably pretty religious until their child died from cancer. She then became so angry with God that he took their child away from him that she went crazy and started kidnapping all of these kids to try and make their parents feel the same way her and her husband did. She wanted everyone to be as angry at God as she was.
Bob Taylor was abducted by Holly and her husband as a child (probably not too long after they abducted Alex/Barry). While the police were investigating Taylor's house, they found a book of mazes called "The Invisible Man." Holly's husband was obsessed with this book and the mazes in it and they gave this book to all of the kidnapped children and told them that if they solved all of the mazes, they could go home. The only catch, the last maze was unsolvable. They police clearly stated that during Taylor's captivity he was drugged up so much that by the time he escaped and was rescued, he couldn't remember anything about his captives except for the mazes, leading him to believe that he had be abducted by "The Invisible Man". Taylor then became a PRISONER in his mind and went on through life believing that if he could just solve the last maze he would be free again. Even though he was physically free, he was forever tormented by not being able to solve the maze and go home. Taylor went through the homes taking things as a sort of way to try and remember his own kidnapping, the police referred to him as a "copycat". He was also tormented by the fact that he couldn't remember anything about his own abduction.
While this film had a lot of promise, I had a hard time getting past the overall darkness of the film. With mentions of a "War on God" and some of the pure torture found in this film, I couldn't help but wish that I hadn't went down this path placing such vivid imagery in my mind of such gruesome acts. Because of this and this alone, I can not recommend this to others though I am sure that in this day and age, many will find this as entertaining.
Powerful movie, very though provoking.
Amazing acting! Loved the raw emotion that the thespians portrayed.
Eughh.... i only really liked the last bit of the movie where things started to happen.
I was already blinking like detective Loki halfway through the film.
damn long movie. so slow nothing happens and cant even make a normal ending waste of time watching this movie thanks
This movie felt as if someone decided to create some kind of thriller so they assembled everything that should be in a thriller. The whole movie felt rather generic. While neither Gyllenhaal nor Jackman were any great shakes in this movie I don't think they had a lot to work with either. It's a bit of a waste in that I think the twist really could have set up a movie for a better ending. I would have thought that the movie would have been about the moral ramifications of what the two men had done. Anyway, this movie has been done way better in too many other places.
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Amazing movie. Jake Gyllenhaal keeps surprising me no matter how many movies of his i watch. I LOVED the plot, and as someone who does her best to find clues and try and figure out the ending from the first second of a movie, i loved how this one kept taking me for a loop every time i thought i had figured something out. Villeneuve is one of the best at suspense, there hasn't been a single movie of his that i've watched that i haven't loved. The only reason this doesn't get a 10 for me is because i felt it was a bit too theatrical at times and because i felt the motive behind the real culprits wasn't strong enough.
A well intentioned film that walks a fine balance between presenting some difficult themes and conforming to a standard mystery that conventions dictate must be solved. For the first half of the film, this is an absorbing look at the fallout from a child abduction case. The performances are all outstanding, especially Jackman, and the film explores some uncomfortable and challenging issues which it doesn't shy away from confronting, not least in questioning the characters' convictions. It is a shame them that the film cannot sustain this in its resolution, which is essentially much more conventional and unfortunately is not in keeping with what has come before. The performances and strong first half ultimately make this worthwhile, but the themes and issues it explores are squandered in the end in its desire to provide the audience with a solution that satisfies.
Not for everyone... But this movie is pretty amazing.
You get dragged into the intensity of feelings of the characters.
The religious side isn't explicit enough, so those who can't manage to pay attention (since the movie is kind of long) will eventually miss it.
I highly recommend it
It was unbelievably annoying to see them shout so much and just be violent when it was clearly not getting them any answers. Like it genuinely made me angry how stupid they were at everything like seriously just talk nicely and they would respond
spoilersPoor Alex… my heart broke to pieces seeing the state of him :( glad they didn’t show how he looked when they found him cos I wouldn’t be able to take it
Incredible, deeply impactful film, that manages to keep the viewers at the edge of their seats at all times. Staggering performance from both Jackman and Gyllenhaal.
Prisoners was an extremely moving and intense experience. The visceral panic and pain a father goes through when his child gets abducted is extremely harrowing. The truly admirable aspect of the movie is the intimidating and powerful performances by the leads Jake and Hugh. With a psychological , slow burn narrative this greyly atmospheric film is captivating to a large extent.
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This is one of my favourite films of all time and it doesn't matter how many times I have seen it I can always feel the suspense building in every scene and the entire way through the film you are trying to guess what is going to happen next. Honestly, Prisoners is one of the most perfect films ever made with masterful directing, cinematography and most importantly great acting.
I am a huge Hugh Jackman fan, but this has to be his best performance by far as you can feel the emotions his character is going through and every other actor brings there a game as well. I remember the year this movie came out and I got so upset that it never got nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, but this film is gaining a following and I feel it might be one of the most underrated movies of all time.
If I have one suggestion, do not watch the trailer as it gives away to much. Just read the plot and if you think this is a film for you, then just strap in and enjoy.
On of these "what would you do" movies. Makes you really think. I just think that Detective Loki's character could have some more depth to explain his actions and manners. Regarding the pace - I believe it is intentional, the sort of feeling you'd have if your child dissapears (as the tagline auggest). So I do recommend it. And going to hug my 3 years old daughter and pray these stories will be just in the films. I also see this movie as proof that faith does make you overcome everything eventually, and this is a great encouragment for me personally.
The ending made me mad. They could have ended it a little better. But good movie though! I enjoyed it a lot. Just a bit too slow.
I really liked this movie. What happened in the end? Loki rescued Dover and arrested him?. I dont see why this can be a lower 7 rate movie. I watched 3 drama movies with Jake Gyllenhaal and enjoyed his performance.
Such an unsatisfying ending. And what was up with the boxes and the snakes in the guy's room?
#Prisoners is an intense, gripping, dark and disturbing film. It's extremely well made. . The acting was superb ( no one stand out witch is good; the best I have seen in a long time ) ; often compared to the likes of Se7en and Zodiac - with good reason. this could be the best movie in the 21t century so far If it weren't for some plot holes and the movie length ( along with some scenes that makes you crave for more ) ... and also because the Movie try to tell us; to many times; that its "ok" to torture a mentally disabled person in your own personal vendetta ... but it is the best movies of 2013 so far.
Halfway through the movie I was already blinking like detective Loki.
I found this to be a disappointing movie. I understand everything in PedroPT's post, but it still seems to me that the religious themes are very superficial.. often obnoxious. The snakes & mazes were especially gimmicky.
All of the characters behaved in reckless and absurd ways. Loki lets snap judgements dictate all of his actions, breaks into basically every house in the movie, and randomly disregards possible leads while doggedly pursuing others. The police chief and him yell at each other constantly and thus encourage each other to act even more rashly (one hopes that this is not how actual police behave). Jackman's character immediately turns violent, psychopathic, and insulting at every opportunity, and worse, the movie seems to justify (or at least consider to be of ambiguous merit) vigilante torture as a means of obtaining information.
It is shocking to me that people believe this movie raises any serious moral questions or issues (whether about torture, vigilantism, or 'the individual and the institution'). As far as I can see, it does not; it has nothing significant whatever to say on these topics.
The connections between the different possibilities which Loki followed are very contrived; is there even a single piece of clue or information that they don't force to be valid and relevant at the end? Perhaps some people see that as a developed and intricate plot, but it makes me feel somewhat like rolling my eyes.
For all that the atmosphere and cinematography were praised, I was also unimpressed with them. Yes, much of it is dark, but I didn't find the use of light or darkness to be particularly meaningful. Maybe I just didn't get the style... I was hoping it would be more like the old german expressionism in use of light, but oh well. I think it would have benefited from some longer and wider shots, but I can't really pretend to know anything about cinematography.
As others, I'm a fan of Gyllenhaal, but I think it's a shame he does so many bad movies like this. His unique charisma and acting style are probably the only redeeming part of this mess.
"Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst."
Extremely tense is an understatement. Denis Villeneuve knows how to create tension so well that I was on edge the whole movie, even on my second viewing. Roger Deakins's amazing cinematography shows how dark (literally) this movie can be. Every frame is gorgeous. The lighting he uses is perfect. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal both give phenomenal performances. The little quirks Gyllenhaal uses really brings the character to life. I think he is easily one of the best actors working today and doesn't get near enough credit. Jackman's rage is something fierce, he must of gotten good at that with Wolverine. This film is a masterpiece. Denis Villeneuve is one of my favorite directors and one of the best working today.
Dark, disturbing, philosophical, ethical, complex. Prisoners is the ultimate test of faith, morality and what it takes to put these aside in order to save someone. A frightening look into the prisons people find themselves in, in order to cope with, or reject these circumstances. A warning that taking matters into your own hands isn't always the best way to go about it. Creates a fascinating character study mixed with a conventional detective story, constantly making you question and look for hints. Stellar performance from Jake Gyllenhaal and especially Hugh Jackman who's at his absolute best. The pacing isn't it's best quality and the movie feels overlong. Perfect tone and direction. The tension never lets go until the end. Loved the constant raining and dampness throughout it really creates gloom. One of, if not the best dark crime thriller. A perfectly constructed puzzle with so many twists and turns and an experience that leaves you thinking.
I must confess that as a Jake Gyllenhaal fan, the first time I heard about this film I knew that I wanted to see it because of him. He is a fantastic actor and until now I always liked to see everything he has done. But after all, this film had so much more to show me than just a good acting from him.
The story sounded very good, the Dover and the Birch families are neighbours and friends. They joined together to celebrate Thank's Giving Day. Two girls, one from the Dovers family and the other one from the Birchs family disappear when they left the house to play outside. The police are called to the location, they started an investigation but theres no evidences for the number one suspect. The fathers decide to act for their on hands and hopelessly try to find their little girls.
Prisoners is such an intense thriller that keeps you completly glued at your seat until the very last minute. You start guessing and guessing trying to figure it out what really happened to those girls between twists and turns that constantly trick you.
The religious aspect is very powerful in this film. Losing faith and being moral or immoral about certain acts that you will never imagine doing until you suffer from an immense pain, like a father thinking that he might lost a daughter or a son.
To match with the intensity of the film, the acting is also very intense. Jake Gyllenhaal, I don't have to mention again that he is great but Hugh Jackman especially is the one that really stands out in the film. Absolutely amazing, disturbing and touching performance! The rest of the supporting cast also did a great job.
For me was one of the best thrillers that I've seen lately and sure it has some flaws but I give it 5 stars because of what I felt while watching it. If you liked it as much as I did, you'll understand.
Probably great for fans of true crime that subscribe to Christian American family values. Decent thriller with some ick for the rest of us.
Great, intense movie with an amazing Jake Gyllenhaal. It's perhaps a bit too slow for me but it was definitely worth it. I saw it before (9 years ago) and I completely forgot the ending.
Not a movie I could watch over and over but I guess I'll rewatch it in 2032.
Where is the line of morality when the lives of our loved ones are at stake? The film tries to answer this question while presenting an interesting thriller.
When it comes to suspense and creating a tense atmosphere, director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Roger Deakins are simply a dream team. This is already evident in their first collaboration, "Prisoners." This thriller is truly a masterpiece when it comes to suspense. After the kidnapping of two young girls, the story follows both the investigating police officer (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the father of one of the children (Hugh Jackman), who does not shy away from carrying out his own justice. The viewer is given the opportunity to guess along the way who is responsible for the kidnapping. There are a few red herrings, but they are never unfair. The resolution is also completely satisfying, keeping you engaged for the entire 153 minutes. From the first minute to the last, you really want to hold your breath—that's how exciting the film is. The outstanding performances that Villeneuve elicits from his actors do the rest. Jackman, in particular, is really strong. "Prisoners" is definitely a must-see for any thriller fan.
yes, it was fairly slow. and the very beginning was so forced to be realistic. but I'm cynical. the moral dilemma of whether to continue torturing alex was repetitive. I must've missed why eliza saw keller at the aunt's house. obviously, we knew it wasn't him who kidnapped the girls, but it felt like karma for him to be targeted even though he was innocent, if only for a moment. he had blamed loki for presumably getting his daughter killed, even though he spent all his time torturing an innocent kid. he was probably projecting. that was the intriguing part of the movie. going to any length to save your kid is basically regarded as a pure, positive moral position, but he ended up torturing a kid who was just like his daughter. of course he couldn't know that, and all he did know was that alex knew her whereabouts. but the aunt's goal was inadvertantly achieved. he had trouble saying, 'forgive' when he was outside alex's torture chamber. well, now he has to forgive himself for his evil acts, acts he didn't mean (but again, that didn't matter when it came to him torturing alex). it was morally complex. was the priest a hero? he killed the aunt's husband, but detective loki wouldn't consider him a hero. yet, i thought I saw him reflect when anna's mom told him he was anna's hero. he killed another victim (again, didn't mean to) of the same abuse he was trying to save the girls from. further complicating things, loki would've had no reason to visit the aunt's property if keller hadn't imprisoned alex in the abandoned house. and keller should be grateful that loki kept following him, or he'd be trapped in that hole. maybe that's the meaning of the title? that we're prisoners of wanting to do the right thing for the ones we know at the expense of the ones we don't. the one problem with the plot was why alex simply couldn't say, 'my aunt'. that would've said everything. yes, they tried to address it with his low iq and even knowing whatever drugs his 'aunt' subjected him to. but it wasn't enough to make us believe it would stop him from doing the right thing. would've been more believable if they had said he signed an nda.
"We can't always save the day. You want fulfilment? You need to find a girl. Start a family, have some kids.
Let it go."
This is one of the most important lines of this entire thing. Gyllenhaal's character came off a lot less approachable this time around - he's clearly a loner that seems to hate people and this line comes at a time in the film where we are just starting to see his character spiral into frustration. It's perfect because we, with exception to his introduction where he's studying chinese zodiac signs at a cafe alone, only just start to ponder WHO this character really is. In that introductory scene he's called into the case which from then completely consumes him. The case is his own version of faith, which the film very clearly has many takes on...
I'm not sure why the detective is named after a god of mischief and deception but his character seems to be against religion, perhaps converted away from it due to his hand tattoo of the cross. Every other character either has beef with God or is wrestling with their faith but it's Villeneueve's portrayal of the religious father, Hugh Jackman, that rubs me the wrong way. It's clear his character's downfall is at least partly allegoric of how God is not the right answer. To me, the film is saying God is the root of all evil, it's terribly atheist and given Villeneuve said he "sees God as nature" just two years ago it's clear this man is a crippling non-believer. I despise the argument that God causes evil and division because it's clear that something like a paedophile priest, another thing the film 'comments' on, is NOT a Christian man, he's a poser and liar. It's nothing to do with 'organised religion' or faith.
It's one of those films that blows your socks off on first viewing - used to be one of my favourites films of all time - because of the plot/mystery but on repeat viewings becomes a whole lot more thematic and I think at this point, on what is about my sixth viewing, I'm realising the script most likely started out as ENTIRELY metaphorical and is secretly pretentious as hell, as well as being a full-on aesthetic display of misery porn to the highest degree.
Hugh Jackman is also not as good as I remember; his angry acting is eye-catching at first but then becomes repetitive real quick and he, argubly like the movie itself, is very one-note. Gyllenhaal is still just as fantastic though, zero complaints there. Roger Deakins' work behind the camera is also extraordinary and probably some of his best work.
It's certainly a fucking event of a movie with many iconic and truly fantastic moments but I'm now so torn with what used to be an all-time favourite. I'm scared I'm growing out of Denis Villeneuve movies, like a Pink floyd of cinema or something. Damn I hope not.
A very creative kidnapping fiction story about 2 young girls who get abducted from their neighborhood on Thanksgiving while the two families were enjoying the day together. Both sets of parents go all in on finding their daughters, so much so that they take matters into their own hands and things get messy. Many big plot twists including the motive the kidnappers have. The plot development is good and not too hard to follow but hard enough with the plot twists that make it interesting. The characters are very relatable.
This is such a good movie oml, I wish I’ve seen this sooner
This movie tells the story of a family-friendly and committed man who has problems. Their Thanksgiving feast is ruined when her children are kidnapped. He tries his best to find his children.In the meantime, a real work workshop will help this family so that they can find their children. The father of the family imprisons the suspects that the police have given up on and tortures them to get a confession from him, but he does not know that he is not the main person. In the end, someone you didn't think about is the cause of these things and he is the one who surprises everyone. In terms of the script, I give this movie a score of 6 out of 10.
This is a movie that takes time to piece together, and you feel like you are learning as the characters are and understand the reasoning behind their actions. While I felt like this movie could have been shorter and some characters could have been more 3-dimensional, the movie kept my attention for it's entire run.
Disappointed in this movie given it’s universal good reviews and praise for its intensity.
It was ok / quite good but way too long and not a particularly interesting story.
A bunch or similarly plotted / themed movies have come out of Korea in the past 20 years and they are much better.
Check out the Vengeance trilogy, I Saw the Devil etc.
America being America.
It's a very good movie. I'm not sure how to describe all the plot twists involved, but I really enjoyed it
More twists and turns than a sack full of pythons and just as gripping.
“Prisoners” is a solid mainstream thriller that explores a rather abused plot structure in Hollywood, but tries to add some complexity by creating morally ambiguous characters and situations. Even though the writing eventually fails at challenging the stereotypes of the genres and could have risked a little more, the puzzle is engaging enough and unexpectedly hard to solve yourself (especially when the film is clearly enjoying playing with its audience). Villeneuve’s direction is always extremely professional (even though not too personal), and I also appreciated both Roger Deakins' suggestive photography and Jóhannsson’s dark but subtle approach in the soundtrack.
The ugly posters prevented me from checking it out all this time, but I am glad I finally did. The title makes much more sense now, as multiple characters are being prisoners on multiple levels. Despite the tone, there is not much real suspense, but the final rush to the hospital was one of the emotional highlights.
The performances are generally alright, even though I was not a big fan of Jackman’s over the top rage moments. His character, too, was a colossal asshole, to the point that I couldn’t deal with my frustration once we find out that he has was kind of right from the beginning. Gyllenhaal worked unexpectedly well at balancing him, though. Nothing against Melissa Leo, but couldn’t they hire a real old woman for that? She looked so unnatural with that wig and makeup that it was clear that there was something fishy about it.
Tense thriller. loved it.
I would actually give it 8.5 of 10. better than a very good movie but not quite mesmerising as 9/10.
great acting by both JG and HJ
Wow I don't get how so many people love that movie. The acting is good but the plot is horrible!
I read at least one thriller a week and everything about this plot was terrible. The detective didn't make any good decisions, he kept not asking for backup, not following leads, and not piecing the clues together.
My husband and I guessed the twists about halfway through and it was way too long.
Definitely not going to rewatch it, too bad because I thought it would be amazing
strong drama with nice suspense and good acting. A little too dark maybe and too long
A gritty, incredibly well-acted, suspenseful, thought-provoking. Jackman shines in this dark thriller.
Really good. Not what i expected but definitely a solid 7
Great thriller! Right there with "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Se7en".
Amazing. Powerful, juicy, appalling. Jackman passes himself, Gyllenhall too. Besieges climate and emotionally scorns.
Silný příběh s odhadnutelnou zápletkou. Skvělé herecké obsazení.
Just when you think it is over, IT GETS BETTER!!! ヅ
Thriller . (that is a dot)
Tour de force by both Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman. Academy Awards 2014?
Plays on many human fears to make a great movie
Am I the only one that didn't believe or connected with Maria Bello's character? She does a great job in most movies, but here there seemed to be something missing. It didn't help that her character was a mess as well. All the other characters were great though, especially Jackman and Gyllenhaal. Impressive performances from most of the cast.
The story itself lacked some depth, so it didn't really do it for me. I always feel like someone has to die in these types of movies for me to like it. Happy endings like these are just very unlikely and unrealistic in the real world. Most kidnapped kids never gets found again, not alive at least.
The movie was good entertainment, but lacked a little story-wise for it to top my list.
Pretty good movie, even if the end left me unsatisfied...
I didn't know much about this movie but was attracted to it by the cast list. I'm glad I took the time to watch it as it was a thoroughly enjoyable film. Very dark, very moody, very good.
Good movie, great acting, but too many tips, very easy to figure it all out more than one hour before the end.
what the fuck kind of ending was that
Wow, this was such an entertaining film! Highly enjoyable thriller, with great acting from Gyllenhaal and Jackman, and an open ending which reminded me of Inception's.
Shout by DeletedBlockedParent2014-11-08T05:49:36Z
Thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Good suspense, acting, plot etc. Highly recommended.