It’s easy to forget how many actors go through movies before becoming those instantly recognizable Hollywood faces, and there’s one thriller that is a great example of that. Back in 2013, its cast already had some pretty big names, but nobody could have predicted how many of them would eventually end up in some of the biggest movie franchises around. Hugh Jackman was still , but the other actors were still far away from the roles that would go on to define part of their careers. And, behind the camera, there was also a director who would eventually become one of the major names in Hollywood thanks to his vision of the world of Dune.
Today, Denis Villeneuve is much more closely associated with sci-fi, but he had already taken a shot at a gritty crime thriller — and he did it so well that watching it today still has pretty much the same effect it had back in the 2010s. If you’re a fan of mysteries, you may have already seen it, but if you haven’t, it’s totally worth checking out.
PrisonersIs One of the Most Well-Developed Thrillers of the Last Decade
image courtesy of warner bros.
A little over a decade ago, Prisonershit theaters with the story of Keller Dover (Jackman), who is celebrating Thanksgiving with his family when his six-year-old daughter, Anna (Erin Gerasimovich), disappears along with Joy, his neighbors’ daughter. That’s when Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes over the case and turns his attention to Alex Jones (Paul Dano), who was connected to the trailer seen near the girls’ house. There’s just one problem: there isn’t enough evidence to arrest him. For Keller, that simply isn’t good enough, since he doesn’t want to sit around for weeks or months while the police try to piece everything together. So, he decides to take matters into his own hands, and that’s where his arc begins to make the experience tense — the movie stops being just about who kidnapped the children. And why is that?
Keller isn’t just a father who does whatever needs to be done, as pretty much every single decision he makes involves some type of violence. You can completely understand why he’s desperate, but at the same time, it becomes harder and harder to defend what he’s doing. We’re talking about someone who, after the police release Alex due to a lack of evidence, takes things to a much more extreme level by kidnapping the young man, without actually knowing for sure whether he’s responsible. And that’s one of the smartest choices in the script, because it keeps the story from becoming just another revenge fantasy where the protagonist gets to break every rule just because he has a good reason. He starts committing crimes on his own against someone who may not even be guilty.
And, of course, Jackman’s casting helps a lot, since anyone who was used to seeing him as Wolverine was suddenly faced with a character who couldn’t be more different: a terrified father who starts making impulsive decisions because he believes nobody is doing enough to find his daughter. The film doesn’t try to make its protagonist likable either, so as the situation gets worse, Jackman’s performance becomes more aggressive, making it difficult to predict just how far Keller will go. And in a movie built around crime and suspense, where you know there are going to be twists, you even start questioning him at certain points — which isn’t really the case with Gyllenhaal, who takes the opposite approach. As Detective Loki, he’s much more restrained, although he’s far from a conventional cop, since he’s obsessive, reserved, and full of little behaviors that make you pay attention to him even when he isn’t saying anything. Keller wants answers immediately, while Loki needs evidence.
image courtesy of warner bros.
Much of Prisoners revolves around the tension between the two, which works even better because neither of them is necessarily wrong about what needs to happen. The children have to be found, but the question is how to get there. Keller believes the police are wasting time, while Loki believes that acting without proof could destroy the case.
But you can’t really talk about this feature without talking about Villeneuve. These days, most people know him for Dune, as well as Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, but far fewer people are familiar with his earlier work and what he was capable of outside of sci-fi. In 2013, the filmmaker was coming off Incendiesand was beginning to make the transition into major English-language productions (since he came from Canadian/Quebecois independent cinema, making French-language films with much smaller budgets and more experimental dramas). But several of the traits we now associate with him were already on display, as this is a director who prefers to let his stories breathe without confusing that with letting everything drag. He uses much of Prisoners‘ runtime to follow the investigation and mainly the deterioration of its characters.
But it’s worth pointing out that the movie isn’t immune to problems either, okay? It definitely requires some patience, and some of its twists can feel a little too convenient. Also, there are moments when it feels like the story is trying to keep the mystery alive even after it has already piled up a considerable number of clues, and the ending can certainly divide opinions. However, when the plot gets a little over-the-top, Villeneuve knows how to keep the suspense working. It’s no surprise that it currently holds an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, while its box office run reached around $122 million worldwide, on top of opening at No. 1 at the domestic box office with around $20 million in its first weekend. It’s a great psychological thriller that earns pretty much every minute of its runtime, and, of course, it also benefits from a bunch of other characters beyond its two leads, right?
The Movie Features Several Marvel and DC Stars
image courtesy of warner bros.
Jackman was Wolverine and Gyllenhaal was Mysterio. And what about Dano? He might be one of the easiest names to recognize in retrospect: the young man who becomes the main suspect in Prisoners would eventually become none other than the Riddler in 2022’s The Batman. And it’s interesting to notice that both as a DC character and in this thriller, he’s still that strange guy who makes you question what exactly you’re looking at: you don’t know whether he’s dangerous, vulnerable, or simply someone who doesn’t know how to behave the way other people expect him to.
And speaking of that franchise, there’s also Viola Davis as Nancy Birch, Joy’s mother, who is more willing to accept extreme measures. She doesn’t have a huge amount of screen time, but her presence carries plenty of weight, especially because her character doesn’t need to constantly explain what she’s feeling. Who remembers that she would eventually play the government operative Amanda Waller in (as well as some shows)?
Okay, but what about Marvel? There are even more connections. in Iron Man 2. In Prisoners, he plays Franklin Birch, Nancy’s husband, who is much more uncomfortable with what Keller is trying to do and also brings an interesting presence to the group of parents. Also, the thriller features David Dastmalchian as Bob Taylor, a disturbed man who gets pulled into the police investigation and who would build an entire career filled with connections to comic book stories, including Kurt in Ant-Man (and Abra Kadabra in DC’s The Flash). And finally, Dylan Minnette, who played Donnie Gill in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., is also part of the cast as Ralph Dover, Keller’s son.
image courtesy of warner bros.
Prisonersis excellent on its own, but it’s true that its cast makes the whole experience even better, which is great news for fans of the superhero genre. And having Villeneuve in the mix only makes it more appealing to anyone who hasn’t watched the movie yet, considering what he did with the Dunefranchise (and all the anticipation surrounding its final installment), which has put him on a whole different level. Looking back at his filmography, you can really see how he got there, especially this thriller that played such an important role in establishing him as a promising filmmaker in the first place. So if you’re looking for one of the genre’s strongest options, this is definitely one worth checking out.
Prisonersis available to rent on Prime Video.
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