Prisoners

I'm sure you're all pleased to see Mr Jackman making a regular appearance on this blog! Yesterday I went to see his latest flick, Prisoners.

After a peaceful Thanksgiving dinner at their neighbour's home, the Dovers realise that their daughter Anna is missing, along with the hosts' daughter, Joy. After a few days and still no word, the parents have to accept that the girls have been abducted, and Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) must act quickly if he is to find them alive. Keller Dover (Jackman), driven by his paternal instincts, starts his own search, though his actions aren't always law-abiding. With an obvious suspect from the get-go, will Loki and Dover come to the same conclusion?

Prisoners is dark and chilling from title to credits. Don't expect the disturbing storyline to be broken up by laughs - I think there's only the one. Every one of the 153 minutes is gripping, and I mean literally gripping – my boyfriend’s hand nearly fell off I was holding it so tight! That’s not to say it’s a scary movie, but with a theme like child abduction, some scenes don’t make for easy viewing.

Although, as you know, I enjoy the X-Men series, when you see Hugh Jackman act like he does in Prisoners, you wonder why he would agree to do anything else. Equally with Jake Gyllenhaal, who I’m liking more and more every time I see a movie of his. Their characters are in essence polar opposites; the cool and collected cop, in fear of getting too attached to the case, and the enraged, emotional father, who has to constantly push his moral limits in an attempt to save his daughter. Truly excellent performances from them both. Paulo Dano, Maria Bello and Terrence Howard all given notable performances, and Viola Davis is incredible as Joy’s mother (if she’s in it, it’s got to be up for some awards, right? ;)).

Whilst I sat in the cinema, one thought kept running through my mind… “I don’t think I can take anymore of this!” But at the same time, nothing was going to make me leave my seat. The film is so beautifully shot, and with a cleverly twisting (and twisted…) plot, the audience is often given an advantage over the characters, which makes for even tenser viewing. Absolutely go and see this, and stick it out –the end scene is brilliant.