Prisoners

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Prisoners

R

2013

2h 33m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

249 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) faces a parent's worst nightmare when his 6-year-old daughter, Anna, and her friend go missing. The only lead is an old motorhome that had been parked on their street. The head of the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), arrests the driver (Paul Dano), but a lack of evidence forces Loki to release his only suspect. Dover, knowing that his daughter's life is at stake, decides that he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

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Critics Consensus

Prisoners has an emotional complexity and a sense of dread that makes for absorbing (and disturbing) viewing.

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Kate Stables

Sight & Sound

Guzikowski's well-honed thriller occasionally idles under Villeneuve's dark character studies, but the director's powerfully imposed mood of dread elevates what might otherwise have been just a superior police procedural.

Jul 31, 2018

Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

An increasingly sloppy thriller, filled with obvious clues, laughable red herrings, and halfhearted "shock" reveals, played at a snail's pace that lets far too much air into the narrative.

Jun 19, 2016

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

This film haunted me for days and weeks after seeing it, and the feeling still lingers.

Rated: A+

Apr 17, 2015

Full Review

Miles Surrey

The Ringer

The tense thriller that put its director on the map...

Sep 29, 2023

Full Review

Iván Kazi

EscribiendoCine

While the resolution is close to being predictable... the movie's strong suit is something else. The process, the content, and the journey are profoundly immersive. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 8/10

Dec 7, 2022

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

“Prisoners” offers some slick foreboding, crafty twists, and a satisfying ending.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 24, 2022

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Dillon B.

Phenomenal, one of the best thrillers ever made

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/30/25

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reedy c

must watch, a film that makes you think for hours

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/27/25

Full Review

Maarit L

The film would have benefited from a more disciplined direction, the story progressed in such a way that it was very difficult to follow the repetitive plot when feeling a bit tired. The character development was weak. However, the idea and basic storyline were good.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/25/25

Full Review

nava S.

constant tension and unbelievable plot

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/16/25

Full Review

Vaughn R

Tonight we watched this one. 'PRISONERS' Before watching.. My brain. Blah blah blah Hugh Jackman. Blah blah blah Jake Guylenaaaahhhlllll or whatever. 🙄 I stand corrected. Firstly, it's a long film. It's also like,... Thriller, Drama or something... Not Horror. Usually, when it a long film, it's filled with filler content. This one was different. Brief synopsis; Two young girls vanish. Hell Bent Revenge Dad out for, well, Revenge... Detective actually doing good work and trying to solve crime... Many misunderstandings and distrust begin. Thing is, at 2.5hrs long, I'm usually very sceptical ov what's being screened. Very few scenes could be cut from this one. Well written for thee screen. We enjoyed it. Vaughn Roxx gives this 4 Stars. ☆☆☆☆ Sun Angel Roxx gives this 4 Stars. ☆☆☆☆ Total 8 Stars out ov 10. ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ Definitely worth a look. 🤙😎

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/28/25

Full Review

Hao Ian L

Villeneuve's Prisoners captivates throughout its two and a half hours of runtime, with the product being a film that propelled his name into the mainstream. Yet, for all its success, it's difficult to overlook a lot of the sloppiness reflected in some random, unexplained character motives and clichéd detours seen in many mediocre thrillers.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/27/25

Full Review

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Denis Villeneuve

Director

Hugh Jackman

Keller Dover

Jake Gyllenhaal

Det. Loki

Viola Davis

Nancy Birch

Maria Bello

Grace Dover

Terrence Howard

Franklin Birch

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Synopsis

Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) faces a parent's worst nightmare when his 6-year-old daughter, Anna, and her friend go missing. The only lead is an old motorhome that had been parked on their street. The head of the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), arrests the driver (Paul Dano), but a lack of evidence forces Loki to release his only suspect. Dover, knowing that his daughter's life is at stake, decides that he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Producer: Broderick Johnson, Kira Davis, Andrew A. Kosove, Adam Kolbrenner
Screenwriter: Aaron Guzikowski
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: 8:38 Productions, Madhouse Entertainment
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Disturbing Violent Content|Torture)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 20, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.0M
Runtime: 2h 33m
Sound Mix: Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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