Warner Bros have served up some brutal crime dramas over the years which have ranged from Se7en and Heat to Mystic River and more recently, Zodiac. The latter two films both focused on bleak subjects related to losing loved ones and crimes never quite being solved. This leads us to the studio’s latest offering, the grim and unforgivable Prisoners. Directed by Incendiaries helmer Denis Villenueve and boasting an astonishing cast of fine acting talent including Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo and the wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman, the gritty melodrama has already earned rave reviews as it delves deep into the traumatising elements of child kidnap. With summer all but over, cinema 2013 has just got darker….

SYNOPSIS: In Pennsylvania, parents Keller (Hugh Jackman) and Grace Dover (Maria Bello) and their children spend Thanksgiving with neighbours Franklin (Terence Howard) and Nancy Birch (Viola Davis). While both families enjoy the occasion, their young daughters Anna and Joy go outside to play only to then mysteriously disappear. Following a desperate search, the two families are left distraught as the police get involved with Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) leading the investigation into the girls kidnapping. When deranged individual Alex Jones (Paul Dano) gets arrested, the police are unable to prosecute him because of his poor mentality and he is soon let go. An outraged Keller decides to take the law into his own hands by kidnapping the young man and keeping him hostage with intentions of torturing him. In the meantime, Loki begins to unearth clues about where the girls could be with time being against everyone.

Films that focus on child kidnap have never stood easy with audiences but director Villeneuve excels in laying out the moral foundations of what is at stake and makes you question how far you’re prepared to protect your family. For a steady two and a half hours, we are taken through the emotions of those affected by the disappearance of these two girls and the actions that certain individuals take in order to find them even if their actions aren’t justified. The plot is an intriguing puzzle that slowly unravels over the course of the film with help from Aaron Guzikowski’s mystifying screenplay that plunges you deep into dark territory up until the boldly ambiguous ending. It must be pointed out that this is not an adrenaline-filled thriller complete with expected explosive sequences but instead the best of the action is saved for the more tense moments, some of which are cringe-inducing (amongst them being Dover’s brutality towards Alex). Supporting the exceptional writing is the technical aspect with the ever-consistent Roger Deakins on top form as he not only captures the gloomy texture of this sleepy Pennsylvania town but also the uncomfortable moments of tension between the characters. The film is also impeccably paced through its editing while Johann Johansson produces a masterful score that conveys the grim tone of everything that is going on. With a story of this magnitude, you require powerful acting and credit again must got to Villeneuve for selecting some broad names for such a dark project. Hugh Jackman, fresh from his recent work in Les Miserables and The Wolverine continues to approach his performances with vast ferocity. While his previous heroic characters like Wolverine and Jean Valjean were decent people both trying to survive their chequered pasts by gaining retribution, his Keller Dover is a desperate man who despite garnering sympathy for his daughter’s disappearance, ends up hammering his way into every scene filled with enough grief and rage to unleash hell (especially on poor Alex). On a similar level, Jake Gyllenhaal stands firm as Detective Loki, another desperate person who becomes heavily invested in the search for the girls and executes his performance brilliantly without having to show too much emotion. Terence Howard and Viola Davis produce traumatic support as the other parents struggling to cope with their missing child but find themselves being dragged into Dover’s thirst for justice. On the other side of the coin, Paul Dano continues to take on creepy roles with his scene-stealing turn as the unfortunate Alex while Melissa Leo supports him ably as his mysterious Aunt.

But as is the case with most crime flicks, Prisoners does lose a bit of momentum with its plot at certain points. The theme of religion is touched upon constantly in the film particularly with one scene involving a priest and child abuse but there’s a lack of follow through as that sub-plot gets tossed aside and only gets mentioned briefly when the case reaches its thrilling (if slightly predictable conclusion). The moral foundations of a couple of the characters also detracts the film’s brilliance especially in the case of Keller. While a lot of us can understand his frustrations of trying to find his daughter, the scenes of him torturing Alex are supposed to make us question whether we should root for him but instead, there are times where his intimidation gets a bit too much and it becomes hard to support him towards the end. It’s also a shame to see versatile actresses like Viola Davis and Maria Bello underused as neither are really given a chance to do anything other then to sit around looking sad and only getting the odd scene to show their acting dominance.

VERDICT: Prisoners signals a dark chapter for the American Dream as Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal and the exceptional support cast produce haunting performances in this grim yet patient drama. Here’s hoping the Academy remember it!