IMDb Top 250 Journey: Prisoners

Hello people, it's Friday, and here's my Prisoners review, as promised. You can find Prisoners on IMDB's Top 250 list, holding a decent score of 8.0 at spot #230. Alright

Immediate thoughts?

Thrilling. Atmospheric. INTENSE.

Go on...

I recently saw Sicario, my third Dennis Villenueve movie, and at this point, I gotta say he's becoming one of my favorites. As to which is my favorite among the three, that would be Sicario, but Prisoners is a close second. A very close second. Prisoners is one of those movies which you go into totally unsure about, and with low expectations, only to be surprised by how good it ends up being. Trust me, it's really good.

Right off the bat, Prisoners' premise is downright intriguing. I try to avoid giving details as much as possible here, but it's safe to say the movie hooks you from the beginning, and some hook it is too, leaving you pondering what you would have done in the same scenario. This is essentially what the movie hangs on to, trying to engage you at each and every turn, and hey, it totally works. I found myself making decisions along with the main characters, and that for me is a huge plus.

Then there's the acting, which is terrific. Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman and Viola Davis all give incredibly powerful and believable performances, without which Prisoners would have stuttered. Gyllenhall particularly has been  on a roll lately, and he's a pleasure to watch. I believe this is a good time to mention that Prisoners isn't exactly pleasurable watching.

Despite not having kids myself, I can't imagine what it would be like to have to go through that, and it shows. This makes the movie engrossing in that it'll leave you wondering what on earth you would have done if you were in that situation. Then after some time, you'll switch gears into wondering how you could go about "solving" the issue at hand, and it's just gets better and better from there. You'll not be disappointed.

But was it well-made?

As you no doubt saw from my immediate thoughts above, Prisoners has a tangible atmosphere which is looming, grey and successfully carries the movie's intensity. Apparently we have cinematographer Roger Deakins to thank for this, though having seen the other two of Villenueve's movies, I think he's also partly responsible. Once again, as has been the case with many of the movies on the list, the craft behind the movie is remarkably confident and exceptionally well-executed. Score one for us!

Final thoughts

Prisoners is a psychological drama with emotional heft, that asks questions we'd rather not ask ourselves. And while that may be playing it up a bit, it is still a movie that dares to ask more than many other movies do, even if it's not particularly essential questions. That boldness, along with it's terrific atmosphere and a good story to go along with some great acting, earns Prisoners a spot on the list.

My Score: 8+

We are moving along slowly. Next week is Django Unchained, which I'm looking forward to. Have you seen Prisoners? Let's hear about it in the comments. Also, happy birthday to my homie Karl, (who you'll find in the comments here and there). You be the realest guy. And yes, that just happened.