Review of Prisoners (2013) by D.a. Z — 29 Mar 2014

Thanksgiving is a time of love and gratitude, cherishing jubilant moments over a warm, oven-roasted turkey around a table with family and friends. This is precisely what the Birch and Dover families, whom are neighbors and close friends, are expecting when attending a Thanksgiving dinner at the Birch residence. There is a deep sense of comfort and connectedness between the two families as they prepare for their quiet, pleasant evening. With a title like Prisoners, it comes as no surprise that the events in this film do not unfold peacefully for these charming families.

The grizzly events of Prisoners begin when Anna Dover and Joy Birch, the two six-years-olds from each respective family, decide to play outdoors. They are accompanied by their older siblings and soon come across what appears to be an abandoned RV, which the two young girls begin to climb before their older siblings force them off as they return for dinner. It is only shortly before dinner that both families realize their two six-year-old daughters are nowhere to be found, and upon searching their homes and the surrounding area, panic begins to set in.

The authorities are contacted immediately, and Detective Loki, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, leads the case. He takes a detailed account of the events that took place before the girls went missing, and shortly thereafter, he finds the RV by which the girls had played. A young man residing inside the RV is then arrested for the accused kidnapping, but further investigation proves it is highly improbable for this man to be the skilled kidnapper-he has the IQ of an average 10-year-old and is awkwardly simple-minded. The plot thickens as Keller Dover, played by Hugh Jackman, decides to take matters into his own hands and find the two missing girls himself, using unskillful detective-work and sadistically violent measures as he sees fit. Keller and Detective Loki progressively discover that there are a multitude of complex clues they must piece together in this intense enigma if they hope to find the two young girls alive.

While slow-paced at times, Prisoners never fails to keep you gripped, scanning every shot for clues and questioning the trustworthiness of each character. Like the title of the film, we too become prisoners of the crime and the agitation the young girls and their distraught families are experiencing. Prisoners is by no means a blissful or straightforward film. However, it reaches deeply into the heart of humanity and the darkness that we are capable of as human beings, whether for love or for malice.