PRISONERS has suffered greatly from its big marketing push by Warner Bros and Alcon Entertainment. They have undermined its uniqueness and edge all for more recognition as Oscar bait. The film's poster can easily inform you of this ineptitude. It's lazily put together, focusing heavily on the two male leads staring blankly at something through the fog. There's an unnatural dagger-like cut between them, with a smaller image of Hugh Jackman holding his child on his shoulders, across from the vomit-enducing tagline "Every moment matters". Funny how this message doesn't show up in the final product, especially since Jackman spends more attention to his older son, even at the very beginning. Then you have the row of star names with an attached acclaim at their top, a facetious sign that their popularity with a gallery of film politicians determines the merits of their talent and this product.
The fact is that PRISONERS is far better than it is advertised. It was even surprising how well the visual craftsmanship is, with its preference to have the viewer walk in the shoes of its characters and follow the mystery with them. The film could have been just another MYSTIC RIVER clone, since the two are both crime flicks involving missing children and shattered parents, but it then slowly morphs into something you would see in pulp novels or a giallo film.
On Thanksgiving Day, the Dover family (headed by Jackman and Maria Bello) spend the holiday with their best friends, the Birches (headed by Terence Howard and Viola Davis). The two families both have a young daughter, who spend most of the time away from the prepping and dinner tables to their own devices. The girls venture out to walk back to the Dover residence, only to not return. The only possible clue for their disappearance is a dilapidated RV that the two were unwisely playing on during a previous walk outside with their older siblings. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), a young hotshot with a perfect clearance record, and the police capture the RV's owner during a possible escape. The suspect Alex Jones (Paul Dano) is mentally handicapped and there is no evidence of the girls in his vehicle. The 48-hour holding window soon ends, allowing the man to leave the station, much to the chagrin of Mr. Dover, who assaults him and believes him to be the true kidnapper. While Loki continues the perilous search for the kids, which realistically gets dimmer every day they aren't found, Mr. Dover takes grueling matters into his own hands by taking Alex hostage and torturing him until he can tell him the truth.
This film is handled with expert talent and care by its director Denis Villeneuve. This is his first film since his international breakthrough feature INCENDIES and his first movie completely in English. Instead of catering to the studio expectations and the familiar formula American audiences expect with a thriller, he goes for something more European and less upbeat: The opening credits are entirely in black and white and silent, the soundtrack is minimalistic, and the mise en scene takes precedence. He has worked expertly with acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins (SKYFALL) to construct a CHINATOWN-like quality to the mystery; all of the clues are shown right in front of you but they will escape your thoughts because of the interest in other matters. When he's not giving you a hint, Deakins frames some amazing tableaus that accentuate the dreary plight. I would also congratulate the editing but it suffers from some fumbles towards the end, particularly two major sequences that end with an unusual fade out.
Though I mocked them slightly earlier, the cast do bring their A-game to the material. Jackman will obviously be the one who's singled out by others and certain to at least get a nomination for a Golden Globe. I don't think his turn was spectacular, he's a little too showy, but the charismatic actor does bring the haunting menace of a furious father who's also a militiaman packing away for a darker future. To contrast all of Jackman's shouting, Gyllenhaal undercuts his outer skin emotions to play a cynical but thinking detective. Of course, the main reason for that is because Gyllenhaal is to act as our eyes and ears but the capable actor is able to reach some more depth with Loki. His ruthless and tired demeanor come out more from his frequent eye twitching and sly smile. The most certain favorite and standout has to be Melissa Leo as Alex Jones's mousy aunt; the character actress gives the character a nice balance between loving care and quiet despair. The rest of the actors do a nice, fair job though I do feel bad that Bello spends the majority of her time solely in bed and covered in dry tears.
Though I admire the attractive construction of the film, the foundation still has too many red flags. Aaron Guzikowski's script is a pool of confusion and it sometimes spends too much time in the deep end, leaving many plot twists and red herrings to drown in bafflement. I don't need everything to be spoon fed; I like figuring out and discussing with others about the significance of the Catholic references and iconography or what's with the star tattoo on Gyllenhaal's neck. But once a book is introduced or the true motive for the kidnapping is muddled, I do need a helping hand, even if it means a longer running time than two and a half hours. Even with the problems with the mystery, there's still issues with some of the characters, namely the families and their actions. For instance, not only does Jackman hide Alex from the authorities but both Howard and Davis aid him. Once those two begin to question this violent drive to justice, they are shockingly dropped into the background for the rest of the story, thus seemingly getting away scot free. I know that Jackman's heinous actions against Alex are wrong but the Birches can't wipe away the blood on their hands.
The third act is a bit too puzzling to comprehend but the film does at least end with a great finish. The finale is the best test to determine how you would feel about the overall film when walking away from it. For myself, it's both a killer ending, in more ways than one, and wisely utilizes how a viewer operates when watching a film. Thanks to some of the preceding developments and clues, anything is possible.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
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