“Opposite Hugh Jackman’s character, you have Jake Gyllenhaal, who is a prisoner of his own making... The two of them create a mirror reflection: one side is by the books, and the other is vendetta and vigilante justice.”
Prisoners was a film released in 2013, directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Hugh Jackman as Keller Dover, alongside Jake Gyllenhaal as Detective Loki. It is ultimately about the desperate, agonizing search for two young girls who go missing from their quiet Pennsylvania neighborhood on Thanksgiving Day. The tragedy drives a devout, blue-collar father to take the law into his own fractured hands by abducting and torturing the primary suspect when the official police investigation stalls... a harrowing spiral into moral darkness that forces both the broken father and the obsessive lead detective to confront the devastating lengths human beings will go to protect and avenge the ones they love.
52-WEEK MOVIE CHALLENGE: #3 - A Thriller Starring Hugh Jackman
I know I’m jinxing myself by saying this, but this challenge is pretty awesome. We started with a Susan Sarandon drama, specifically from the ‘90s... for which I chose Dead Man Walking, which turned out to be her one and only Oscar win. Then, we moved to an Action Fantasy film made after 2020, and I chose Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which was a lot of fun. Now, we land on a Hugh Jackman thriller with Prisoners.
I knew this prompt was going to be interesting. Even though most folks probably immediately think of Wolverine when they see Hugh Jackman, he is a well-versed actor who has done a lot of great work, including thrillers (I could have also chosen The Prestige, for example). He’s done musicals. He’s done romantic comedies. He’s even done mysteries with sheep co-stars. You have to hand it to the guy for being able to stay outside the Marvel bubble while remaining one of the actors who has played the same superhero the most times. In fact, he might hold the record now. I think he was tied with Robert Downey Jr. for a while, but at this point... it might literally be him. Still, he continues to prove his range, and Prisoners is a prime example of a film that showcases his emotional chops.
This film is pretty spectacular.
In general, I think a lot of people look at this movie and consider it a masterpiece. I don’t know if I hold it in quite that high regard, but I do think it is a phenomenal film. It’s made extremely well, features terrific performances from everyone involved, and really makes you think... especially about our justice system and its flaws. But it also shows how much we need that system, because our own personal justice system is extremely biased, led by emotion, and operating with very little logic when we’re blinded by grief. I liked how this film captured the issues on both sides, showing how nobody is perfect, and how we end up as prisoners of our own minds when our desire to do the right thing hits a brutal obstacle.
We see this clearly in Hugh Jackman’s character, a father who promised his entire life to protect his family from anything. This dude is essentially a doomsday prepper... although the movie doesn’t outright say that... but he’s prepared for the absolute worst. Tornadoes, hurricanes, whatever it might be. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. He’s got bags of lye in his basement. He knows how to hunt, and he’s teaching his son to do the same. He’s also great with his hands and can fix or build anything. The guy is insanely resourceful... so when his daughter goes missing, you can imagine how powerless he feels, and how much weight he carries to retrieve her. He feels hopeless, like a failure, or even a liar for breaking the promise he made to protect them.
Opposite Hugh Jackman’s character, you have Jake Gyllenhaal, who is a prisoner of his own making. He plays a detective who becomes far too obsessed with the case and turns into a total perfectionist... and the more snags he comes across, the more aggravated he gets. The two lead characters create a compelling mirror reflection. On one side, you have by-the-books law enforcement; on the other, raw vendetta and vigilante justice. In neither case is anything going according to plan, but the writing is so good that both storylines work seamlessly together. The longer the film plays out, the closer these two paths get to colliding, and when they finally meet in the third act, things get wild. The audience gets answers they weren’t expecting. It’s legitimately a very good movie.
Plus, you have Roger Deakins behind the camera... hands down the best cinematographer in film history, doing his thing. His work here is much more subtle than some of his other notable projects... like 1917, Blade Runner 2049, or Skyfall, to name a few (look him up if you aren’t familiar, everything he touches is stupidly good). Here, the visuals are definitely a bit more subdued and somber, but that restrained look works brilliantly with the dark tone of the story.
I really don’t have much to complain about here, other than one thing... one singular thing that barely affects my overall rating. I couldn’t help but think that what could make this movie literally perfect... would be a cast of unknowns. The depth of this story... the importance of it... it is deep, raw, real, and feels like a genuine glimpse into people’s private lives. That atmosphere would probably work even better if it wasn’t a group of A-list actors at the forefront. I almost hesitate to say that because it sounds like I’m complaining about Jackman or Gyllenhaal, which I’m not. They do a phenomenal job, delivering some of their best acting bar none... but I’m thinking more abstractly here. I’m thinking big picture. If the actors were completely unknown, the film might feel even more honest and vulnerable.
Even as it stands, it earns a very solid score. So far, it’s the best movie of this challenge, and it might end up staying in my top 10 when the challenge wraps up 50 weeks from now. That’s how good it is.
Unbiased/Technical Score: 46/50 (92%)
Biased/Entertainment Score: 47/50 (94%)
Total/Overall Score: 93/100 (4.5/5 on Letterboxd)