Prisoners

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Prisoners

R

2013

2h 33m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

248 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.

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

07/31/2018

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.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

06/19/2016

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.

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

04/17/2015

A+

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

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Carla Renata

The Curvy Film Critic

Mar 24

PRISONERS, however, is the most jaw-dropping thriller I have seen in years! It was absolutely thrilling, spellbinding and kept my attention from beginning to end.

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Miles Surrey

The Ringer

09/29/2023

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

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/24/2022

4/5

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

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Gus C

@GooseBruce 1d

A MASTERPIECE! Perfect thriller with a mind bending story! If you haven't seen it yet then it is now your number one priority.

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TWMax65 T.

@RT38199094 May 7

An absolutely brilliant performance from Hugh Jackman and a mystery that will send shivers up and down your spine. I highly recommend this movie if you’re in the mood for an uncomfortably realistic thrill. One of the most tense and eerie movies I’ve ever seen!

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Mysterymovie M

@Mysterymoviemadam May 3

Anything Denis Villeneuve from this film onward tends to be golden and this is no exception, a great mystery, it's dark, it's broody and the tension is built slowly but surely. Great performances also.

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Bogdan K.

@RT77924264 May 1

It wasn't completely predictable. I enjoyed it

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Lucas C

@RackDacks Apr 27

good drama, thought the ending was lazy

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Dakota L.

@MisterKoda Apr 10

The characters portrayed by Gyllenhaal and Jackman are incredibly convincing, even if their actions in the story seem to be an exaggeration of reality. Then again, I think this film challenges parents to see how far they can go for their children. The legal morality of Gyllenhaal’s character is one of the only weaknesses in the plot. Regardless, this film feels bleak, hopeless, and very real. The rest of the cast also play their parts to near perfection. I feel super bad for Paul Dano.

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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