Down and Dirty: Go see it
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Big Names: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard,
Melissa Leo
I’ll be direct; this is the most thrilling and terrifying
crime movie since David Fincher’s Seven, which came out almost twenty years
ago. Do not go see this and expect an uplifting film. This is a hard movie to
watch at times and it will challenge your view of what is moral versus what is
necessary. Without revealing any spoilers (why read a review that tells you everything
you’re about to go see?), the plot unfolds around a kidnapping of two young girls
- one belonging to Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) and the other to Franklin Birch
(Terrence Howard). These two families struggle to cope with the unfolding
search and investigation headed up by the local detective (Jake Gyllenhaal). I
hesitate to reveal anything further because there are so many unforeseen
developments that it’s better if you don’t have any expectation of what lies
ahead. All you need to know is that with a subject matter this dark, these
characters will take you to places you don’t want to go.
It’s not just a crime thriller though - this film is
downright scary. Not seat-jumping horror like you might expect from a
Paranormal Activity or Insidious, but scary in the sense of how terribly real
it all feels. At no point in time during my viewing experience did I think to myself
“bullshit, no way it goes down like that,” which I often find myself thinking
during over the top thrillers and horror flicks. I mean this is genuinely
something that could happen and it forces you to think about how you would
react in a similar situation. What sort of measures would you take? Who would
you trust? How far would you be willing to go?
But I think the most interesting effect this film creates is
super high anxiety in the viewer. The extreme level of helplessness I felt
alongside some of the main characters was legit nerve racking. If you don’t
fare well with movies that make your knees knock, don’t go see this.
From a filmmaking standpoint, Villeneuve gets just about
everything right. The acting, the cinematography, and the score all blend
together like a terrifying black tar that keeps you glued to your seat. Even
when the pacing slows down there is never a dull moment. Instead, the intense
dialogue succeeds in drawing you further down the dark rabbit hole of
creepiness. Hugh Jackman, in a different role than his typical 'hero' look, outperforms
everyone as the devastated father who will do anything to find his daughter;
and Jake Gyllenhaal, who I've always been iffy about, does an amazing job as
the anything but stereotypical workaholic detective. Another standout is
Melissa Leo who makes the most of her limited screen time (I didn’t even
recognize it was her until the credits rolled). It’s just a well-put together American
cinema debut from this Canadian director. Up until now he has been known as a foreign film specialist, but that is surely about to change. Look for big
things to come from Denis Villeneuve in the future.
Now that I’ve gushed about almost every aspect of Prisoners,
here’s what you should do:
Go see it! …and tell me what you think!
