Your Attention Will Be Captive-ated by Prisoners (Get it?? Like Captive?? Like the title?? Kind of??....I tried)

Prisoners is an outstanding thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay penned by Aaron Guzikowski. Its unsettling plot deals with the abduction of two young girls in the suburbs of Pennsylvania. The father of one of the girls, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) will stop at nothing to get them back and is convinced that the main culprit is a disturbed young man named Alex Jones (Paul Dano) whose RV was parked outside their house at the time of the kidnapping. Despite the fact that Jones fled the scene when confronted by the police, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), the officer on the case, is unable to charge him due to a lack of convicting evidence. After Jones is inevitably released, Dover takes matters into his own hands by kidnapping him and torturing him in an abandoned apartment complex in order to find out where his and his neighbor's daughters are.

Director Villeneuve has made one of 2013's most harrowing films and with the aid of legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, the images he crafts are haunting and unforgettable. The high tension is maintained throughout the film's extended running time and there are a large number of very suspenseful sequences. Sure, it's a little long in the tooth and some of the twists are less inspired than others (Some are even downright silly), but for the most part everything works to great effect. A great deal of this success is due to a really solid screenplay, packed to the brim with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Performances are stellar across the board. Hugh Jackman gives one of 2013's best performances with a particularly dark turn as Keller Dover. The nature of his character poses some compelling questions on how far we would go to save someone we love and whether or not our actions would be justified. Jake Gyllenhaal is his equal, giving an excellent, subtle turn as Detective Loki. Paul Dano continues to cement himself as a fine character actor. His performance as the suspected kidnapper is incredibly creepy. Supporting players Maria Bello, Viola Davis and Terrence Howard are strong in their respective roles as well.

CONCLUSION: Thrillers don't get much more expertly crafted than this one. Thanks to a strong screenplay, great direction and first-rate performances, from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal in particular, Prisoners stands tall as a rather unsettling and unforgettable movie-watching experience.

FINAL RATING: 4/5