Providing an accurate rating for “Prisoners” is possibly the most difficult decision that I have made on this blog. The reason is that this an expertly crafted film; complete with exceptional performances, beautiful cinematography, and an elaborately complicated screenplay. Perhaps this is the issue, though. In some ways, maybe it was just a little too much. At times, “Prisoners” gets ahead of itself, never knowing just quite where it stands. Yet, despite its rating, I would actually recommend seeing this film. (If only so that I had someone to talk to about it.)
From its stylish trailer, the basic plot of at least some of “Prisoners” becomes clear. Set in rural Pennsylvania, the film concerns two sets of neighbors who one day find that their daughters have mysteriously vanished. Fearing the worst, they call in the police, who, led by Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), track down an RV that had been parked down the street at the time of the disappearance. The driver of the RV, young Alex Jones (Paul Dano), is at first a suspect, although Loki has no evidence to link him to the crime. But that’s not enough for Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman), who is convinced that the boy was responsible, or at least knows something. So, he kidnaps Jones and holds him hostage, determined to make him talk.
All of the above can be ascertained from a viewing of the “Prisoners” trailer. What is not immediately clear, however, is an entirely separate story that only casually concerns the lost daughters. While Detective Loki is tracking down the girls, he unintentionally unlocks a plot of child kidnappings and murders over the years, each of which occurred close to where the two girls have now gone missing. For much of the film, then, we are out on the road with Loki, deciphering clues to this almost unrelated mystery. What began as an interesting character study as to the great lengths that parents would go to for their children has now become a murder mystery thriller.
As a result of this break in the narrative, “Prisoners” essentially becomes two separate movies: on one side, the parents are losing their minds in a desperate search for their children, which causes them to make immoral decisions; while on the other, a detective tracks down a plot of child kidnappings, and almost loses himself in the process. If each of these stories was presented separately, they would each be almost flawless masterpieces. But, when attempting to smudge them into one solid work, the pieces don’t quite fit together. And although a connection between the two is eventually made, it was such a slow ride to get there that I had almost forgotten how they related.
To be fair, there is some impeccable beauty in “Prisoners,” which unfortunately may be missed by some viewers, due to the drowsy pace of the film. The director Denis Villeneuve clearly has an agenda here, in attempting to show the rippling effects of becoming a prisoner, whether it be literally, as in the children, or as a prisoner in your own mind. Keller and Detective Loki, for example, are each trapped by their obligations: Keller as a father, and Loki as the detective hired to find the lost children. And both actors bring full depth to their performances. Jackman comfortably plays the loyal father figure, a role that he was born to play, despite his overwhelming association to the Wolverine character. And Gyllenhaal, who has already proven that he can play an officer of the law (see “End of Watch”), gives a modest, controlled performance as Detective Loki. With long, slow camera shots, and a preference for long periods of silence over dialogue, Villeneuve knows just how to prod the viewer in order to get a reaction. It is, at times, a marvelously artsy film.
The conclusion of “Prisoners” still leaves some questions unanswered, which, for spoilers sake, I will not get too much into. Some of these answers are better off unsaid, so that the viewer can fill the blanks in for themselves. But in other cases, at least some information or background would be helpful. And after an entire film of searching, but with no conclusive find, the end result is unfulfilling.
In some ways, I appreciate Villeneuve’s work in “Prisoners.” He has created an unconventional thriller, which has an emotional, humanistic core; a quality lacking in many of today’s more popular films in the genre. But, even with its full 2 1/2 hours, both the character study and the murder mystery feel unresolved. I just wish he had stayed with one or the other.