This is one of those rare Blu rays that I had come across in my travels and scored (most likely at a Value Village), simply based on what I knew of its reputation.
That was about two years ago.
Since then, this title has been leering up at me ever I delve into the ‘P’ section of my collection, daring me to pick it, and yet I’d never gotten around to checking it out, despite it’s solid rep as a heady thriller.
The meteoric rise of fellow Canadian Denis Villeneuve (Sicario) has been an interesting Hollywood success story to behold, with the man going from arty Francophone fare to tackling and successfully interpreting that science fiction literary darling Dune (2021), with its hotly anticipated sequel fast approaching. I’ve been a fan of his for a little while now, having enjoyed many aspects of his later, English-language filmography, with Sicario (2016), Arrival (2016), Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and, of course, Dune (2021, 2023). Knowing that Part Two is inbound, I circled back to some earlier Villeneuve, and finally kicked myself in the ass, to FINALLY get around to FINALLY seeing Prisoners.
Knowing that this film came with some serious critical acclaim and wanting to be at least somewhat surprised by where the flick’s plot MAY go (going in blind works out…sometimes), I’ve actually managed (much to my surprise) to avoid any major plot points or twists that this dark crime thriller may boast so I was genuinely curious to see where this mysterious little tale may take me.
So, on a dreary grey Sunday afternoon (rain and fog everywhere), I scooped up my copy, fired up the entertainment system, complete with my newly completed 5.1 sound set-up (tee hee!). Along the way, I scored a fresh coffee, a hoot off the vape (Ninja Fruit for the win!) and my pad and pen.
I hit PLAY…and the scribbles began…
-Good, wholesome vibe. Set-up? The introduction to the Dover Family – ‘Keller’ (Hugh Jackman), ‘Grace’ (Maria Bello),son ‘Ralph’ (Dylan Minnette) and daughter ‘Anna’ (Erin Gerasimovitch), through a get-together with another neighborhood family, the Birchs – ‘Franklin’ (Terrence Howard), ‘Nancy’ (Viola Davis), daughters ‘Joy’ (Kyla-Drew) and ‘Eliza’ (Zoe Soul), hits all the right notes with the pleasant and unassuming suburban lives these people lead.
-Low key dread. No Music = great. Feels real. I love it when directors embrace the less-is-more school of thought when it comes to taut thrillers. The is no ‘score’ in Real Life (though that would be cool), so when a tense situation sounds just like what’s around you, it makes the suspense more tangible. Villeneuve likes this approach and I approve!
-And…missing. Yet another reason why kids are off the menu for us. The core of this story is the disappearance of the two youngest girls from among the two families. This is a ‘story’ that sadly plays out ALL THE FUCKING TIME in the dying world we inhabit, so it makes the ‘thrills’ all the more chilling and relatable. Plus, I can’t imagine what I would do in that situation. Not wanting to visit a scenario like that contributed to my common-law wife and I definitively deciding that offspring were in the offering for us. We’re just not programmed that way…but that doesn’t mean I can’t relate to the anguish effectively depicted onscreen.
-Love the tone. Se7enish. I’m a MASSIVE fan of David Fincher’s masterful second film, 1995’s Se7en…a film that I hold in extremely high regard, partly because of its visual influence on Hollywood, post ’95. It influenced many a director and it would felt like I could probably count Villeneuve among those, as his compositions and patient editing run parallel to Fincher’s work, in my humble opinion.
-Jake’s twitch is an interesting choice. Jake Gyllenhaal is a fascinating actor to me. I always spot subtle nuances in his characters and apparently it’s often of his design. The character of ‘Det. Loki’ has a pronounced eye twitch, would lends well to the suggestions of autism in the character, which would also explain certain uncomfortable interactions with other characters. Quirky details that added some ‘flesh’ to the character.
–Paul Dano? Another creepy fuck. Didn’t know much about Paul Dano until I caught his eerie, Zodiac Killer-inspired turn as the ‘Riddler’, in Matt Reeve’s impressive 2022 version of The Batman. He seems to be cornering the market for creepy unhinged weirdos with homicidal leanings and so far, I’m ok with it. All he needs to say is a key sentence in just the right tone, at just the right moment, and the film’s tension kicks up a notch. This happens more than once.
–Definite Fincher vibes. Precise framing. If there was ever a comparable contemporary for Denis Villeneuve, the obvious choice for me is David Fincher. The use of long, precise shots, patient editing and a yellow / brown tinged colour palette can easily be compared back and forth between the two directors…and I’m here for it! Fincher is a masterful genius behind the camera but upstart Canuck Villeneuve comes close to almost perfecting the style that the Fight Club director has brought to the table.
–Maria Bello?! Hello! Maria Bello (A History of Violence) is a gorgeous actress who has proven capable of bringing intensity and range to her past characters. Actually haven’t seen her in a while so it was a nice treat when she popped up on screen.
–Autistic? As previously mentioned, Gyllenhaal brings some interesting quirks to his improbably named ‘Det. Loki’ character, small character details that, to me, were clearly meant to convey a place on the ‘spectrum’ for him to sit while navigating the twists and turns of the bizarre case.
–Villeneuve + The Shadow = Happy me! In the past, I’ve circled around the idea of ‘Why the hell hasn’t anyone tried a new adaptation of The Shadow?” I love the Shadow character and I crave a hard R rated adaptation sometime in my life-time. When it comes to who should helm such an endeavour, David Fincher instantly leaps to mind, with his visual still and embrace of ‘grit’ lending well to the source material. But now, after having gotten an effective feel for the man’s work, if Fincher can’t come and direct my Shadow film…then Villeneuve is my next pick.
–Oh, Dano! You son-of-a-bitch! I jotted this down as the creepy spaz that Dano is inhabiting says one of THOSE things that twist everything around, sending the narrative down a dark rabbit hole.
–Motherfucker! Abusing a dog like that! Fuck im up on that merit alone! Dano strikes again. My wife and I are dog-lovers and treat our two fur-babies like princesses, so seeing the already creepy dick hoist a poor dog up by it’s neck on a leash had me yearning for Hugh Jackman to go all Wolverine on his nerdy creepy-fuck ass. If I was supposed to feel ANY sympathy for this character, it was gone forever in that moment.
–Shit’s getting intense! Who’re the monsters now? This is where some of the film’s questions about who’s really the monster in a revenge / vigilante scenario and how far might the average person be willing to go to get what they feel is justice.
–Great score. Intense but simple. Not much more is needed than that.
–Wow! Hugh’s got some fiery passion going. I’ve been impressed by Hugh Jackman going back to when he first wowed us all as Wolverine, while also continuing to give us a plethora of different characters over the last couple decades. This is an intense role for him and he nails it, IMO, with him easily dominating a couple of rage-fuelled scenes.
–He drank the Kool-aid! Pretty much what that says…nothing good comes when you ‘drink the Kool-aid’.
–Touch of Silence of the Lambs to the climax. Appropriately ambiguous ending. The ole cat n mouse hunt, the race against time, the what the fuck just happened ending. Obviously, we’ve all seen those tropes before but when done right, there’s nothing wrong with using the classics. For the most part, here, they’re done right.
–Not the big shocker twist of an ending I was expecting but over-all still effective. I hoped to be irreparably damaged on an emotional level when the credits rolled, based on this flick’s admirable reputation going in (as I interpreted it)…but I wasn’t. Don’t take that to say that this isn’t a good flick…it definitely is, but it wasn’t earth shattering.
All in all, I firmly believe that this film is a solid entry in Denis Villeneuve’s blossoming filmography, a tight, twisty thriller that dares to ask some uncomfortable questions while taking the viewer in unanticipated directions. This is all backed some absolutely superb performances by the leading men, with by Gyllenhaal and Jackman both getting several moments to shine, Jackman especially. Technically this film benefits greatly with the combined talents of Villeneuve and renowned Director of Photography Roger Deakins (Sicario), with the slick and symmetrical compositions and the patient editing that let the performances ‘breathe’ pulling us into the sordid tale as it unspooled. That being said, I didn’t get the visceral ‘Oomph!’ I was hoping for. I suspect that the films reputation in pop culture over-inflated the expectations that I had coming in, but I was anticipating something akin to the punch-in-the-head finale of Se7en, a first-time-viewing experience I will NEVER forget. SO, while this flick is bleak and nihilistic (it’s a good one to watch when you find yourself in TOO good a mood), it doesn’t bowl me over. But still a solid crime drama / thriller that did exactly what it needed to, and then just a little bit more. Whole hearted recommendation.
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