Prisoners

An intelligently written film that plays on a universal fear and holds your attention

This is a terrifying film, not so much because of its suspense, but because of its complex morality. We often forget that the most important text for Americans is not the US Constitution but the Bible. This is a story of how one winter, on Thanksgiving, two little girls of neighbouring families are kidnapped, and the insane desperation to which one of the fathers is driven.

God, the belief thereof, is on the side of both the perpetrators and the victims. The variation is in the interpretation of the text. When the main suspect, a mentally-challenged man with the mind of a child, is released on lack of evidence, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) decides to take the law into his own hands; he kidnaps and tortures the suspect to find out where his little daughter and her friend are.

During this repugnant act, Keller keeps reciting verses from the text, and the tone in which he verbalises these gentle and beautifully written lines is full of anger and hatred. In parallel runs the story of the rationalist police officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), and though he follows the kidnapping trail like a ruthless bloodhound, he retains his humanity and kindness towards both victims and suspects. Only in one instance does his mind snap, and in that one act of madness a tragedy takes place that traumatises him and thwarts his search temporarily.

The disappearance of children in broad daylight, in their own neighbourhood, playing outside their own homes, is terrifying. And not just for parents. Prisoners makes full use of this universal dread, but what prevents it from turning into an exploitation film is the moral position that the script offers and the realisation that ‘evil’ is not something located somewhere far away, but often right within one’s own community.

This is an intelligently written film that features good performances by Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. It holds you to your seat for its two-and-a-half hour duration.

About The Author

Ajit Duara