Prisoners

 

Prisoners 2013

• Director: Denis Villeneuve
• Seen by this director: Dune, Blade Runner 2049, Arrival
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Paul Dano, Dylan Minette, David Dastmalchian
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Hugh Jackman – The Greatest Showman, Logan/X-Men et al, Chappie, Les Misérables, Australia, The Prestige, The Fountain, Kate & Leopold
• Jake Gyllenhaal – Life, Zodiac, Proof, Brokeback Mountain, Day After Tomorrow, Moonlight Mile, The Good Girl, Donnie Darko, October Sky
• Viola Davis – The Suicide Squad, Widows, Fences, Get on Up, Ender’s Game, Beautiful Creatures, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Solaris, Antwone Fisher, Far from Heaven, Kate & Leopold
• Melissa Leo – London Has Fallen, Oblivion, Welcome to the Rileys, Frozen River, Homicide Life on the Street, The Ballad of Little Jo
• Maria Bello – The Fifth Wave, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, The Jane Austen Book Club, A History of Violence, Secret Window
• Terrence Howard – The Butler, Ray, Crash, Dead Presidents
• Paul Dano – Twelve Years a Slave, Looper, Taking Woodstock, Little Miss Sunshine
• Why? The cast.
• Seen: 29 November 2022 

       Two little girls go missing in a small town in Pennsylvania. Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) is in charge of the search. Keller (Jackman) is the father of one of the girls and he goes after the first suspect, a mentally challenged young man Alex (Dano), involving the parents of the other girl (Davis and Howard).

       It’s suspenseful on several levels – the missing girls, the parents’ reactions, the suspects, the police. The story and the characters are complex, there are twists and turns, and the acting is first-rate. 

4 * of 5