Prisoners

Despite this year now officially being the busiest for my little old blog, I have been lazy when it comes to writing about the films I really like. As they say, it's easier to criticise than to give praise. This is then made easier when I've seen one too many bad films but a short while back I did finally see Denis Villeneuve's 2013 thriller Prisoners starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. The director grabbed by attention last year with the fantastic Arrival, and with my plans to see Sicario before the Bladerunner sequel hits cinemas, now seemed like a good time to delve into this.

Prisoners had been described as a long, challenging and grim tale about two suburban families who both lose their children during a family event. Suspicions start to arise just before when they see an anonymous camper van which leads to a bitter race for the families to find their children during a bleak winter season. It's every parent's nightmare and Villeneuve's directing nails the tone right from the beginning and he had me hooked for this two hour plus epic that we rarely see the likes of anymore. It has the Hollywood stars with Roger Deakins' beautiful cinematography but Villeneuve isn't afraid to go into some very dark places.

At the centre of the film is Jackman who battles with Gyllenhaal's detective to speed up the hunt and these two offer some of their best performances to date. Don't get me wrong, Jackman was great in Logan but here we see so much more and the supporting cast are equally fantastic. It all adds to a devastating sense of hopelessness and the sickening feeling of what the characters must be feeling. I watched this late at night before a night shift so I didn't have any distractions which is the way to truly experience Prisoners.

If you are looking for a film that really grabs you by the collar and that isn't afraid to go against the grain as so many Hollywood films do these days, Prisoners is the perfect film for you. I'm not sure if I'll ever watch it again but it gets my full recommendation and I hope we see more of Villeneuve after Bladerunner.