We finally get an emotionally heavy movie this year to rival The Hunt, and this one's in English! If you didn't know, The Hunt is one of my favourite movies this year and it happens to be a foreign language film. I loved it so much though because it was so emotionally tense and real; I could really sympathize with the characters and get engrossed into the situation. Thankfully, Prisoners delivers essentially the same thing. And since it's an American film, more people will be able to experience it! So, to start it off, you should know that this movie is incredibly demanding. It puts a lot on your shoulders, so to speak, since it really takes you on this emotional and intense ride. It feels so real that you might end up thinking it's actually happening. It's one of those movies that seriously keeps you on the edge of your seat but also with your hand on your mouth, since it's so thrilling and real. Prisoners is a story about two normal suburban families that live on the same street and have Thanksgiving dinner together one year. That night, the two little girls of the families decide to go outside; however, they never come back. From then on; we have an extremely deep and dark film, filled with great cinematography, immaculate editing, top-notch performances, amazing dialogue, and some of the most intense emotional aspects of any movie in years.
If you wanted to see Wolverine go more berserk than he did in an X-Men movie, you've found it, because Hugh Jackman's portrayal in this movie is astounding. This is probably already my favourite performance of his to date. He's the father of one of these little girls that gets kidnapped and he conveys the disturbing depression and rage of the situation so greatly. You really feel like he's a real guy who would just do anything to get his daughter back. He's one of those guys who's just like, "the cops aren't doing enough, I need my baby girl back. Let's see what the hell I'm capable of." He's such a greatly layered character, that you understand what this situation is really doing to him, yet you're questioning if you should be on his side. What's so great about this movie is the layers and diversity of these characters. Terrence Howard's character, the other father, is a little more timid and is sometimes scared of how far Jackman's character is capable of going, yet you still know that he is wanting his daughter back. The moms, also, are played well (by Maria Bello and Viola Davis, respectively) in that one sort of wants to forget the event and move on, whereas the other is trying to hide all of her sadness. Another great performance in this movie is that of Jake Gyllenhaal's Detective Loki. It's a great plus that Gyllenhaal went through real police training for his last movie, End of Watch, and that he's proven himself to be able to act characters like this in movies like Zodiac. It all pays off because his performance in this movie rivals that of Hugh Jackman's, as he's the guy who's actually trying to keep everything under control and is the only one who is really trying to practically put together the pieces of this puzzle. Rounding out the cast is Paul Dano, who plays the prime suspect of this whole tragedy. His performance could split viewers, but I actually am on the side that really likes his acting. His character is chilling and mysterious, yet has an innocent look to him; which leads you to never know if he's really the sicko that did this or just some random unlucky guy.
While the acting in this film is top-notch, so are the technical aspects. The directing of Denis Villeneuve is very David Fincher-esque (which is a huge complement since Fincher has directed some of my favourite movies of all time) mixed with a little bit of Clint Eastwood's flair from Mystic River. Just watching the movie makes you feel cold and your jaws feel worn out. It really gets you into the mood of this movie, as does the cinematography. Also, the editing of the movie is something to appreciate since most movies nowadays just incorporate quick cuts into all of their scenes. This movie takes its time with its scenes, which actually helps add to the intensity of the final product. And this movie would've fallen apart if its writing wasn't good, but thankfully it's great. The dialogue is all realistic, wherein you feel like a person in that situation would actually say that, truly adding to the realism, intensity, and other enticing factors that this movie has. Plus, the story and plot elements all fit together great. The crime is shaded and complex enough to keep you intrigued, yet accessible enough to understand it all when it's resolved.
All of these great elements make one believe that this movie is one that's easily watchable, since it's got so many great perks and aspects. However, it's a tough film, to say the least. When the shit hits the fan, this movie just becomes so heavy on you. The story and themes are very dark, cold, and incredibly depressing. Watching this movie is observing a family who's had their loved daughter suddenly and seamlessly stripped away from them and then witnessing how much that seriously affects them. For the two and a half hour run time, I wasn't bored at all. The movie throws so much emotion at you that you feel like you're a part of this all and you're always anticipating what's gonna happen next, while at the same time not even wanting to know. When a film can so masterfully engross you in such a tragic experience, it's quite amazing and quite exhausting. I can say that I really liked Prisoners because it is such a beautifully crafted film and it's so realistically and emotionally intense. It's a heavy experience and a depressing one which really affects its watchability factor, but it's ability to keep you locked in during this emotional ride makes it worthy of its 8.5 out of 10 Noodles. Oscar season has started early this year.
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