Prisoners
Overview
Prisoners is a 2013 thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Hugh Jackman as Keller Dover, a desperate father whose daughter goes missing. The film is set in a small Pennsylvania town on Thanksgiving Day. Keller's daughter Anna and her friend Joy go for a walk and do not return. A dilapidated RV is seen in the neighborhood. The police, led by Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), find the RV and arrest the driver, Alex Jones (Paul Dano), a young man with the mental capacity of a 10-year-old. The police have no evidence, and they are forced to release Alex. Keller is convinced that Alex is guilty. He kidnaps Alex and tortures him, keeping him in a boarded-up apartment. He wants to know where his daughter is. The film is a moral thriller, asking how far a parent should go to save their child. Keller is a good man, a devout Catholic, but he becomes a monster. He beats Alex, starves him, pours boiling water on him, and electrocutes him. Alex says nothing. Meanwhile, Loki investigates the case. He discovers that Alex's aunt, Holly (Melissa Leo), is a serial killer who has been kidnapping and murdering children for years. Holly is the one who killed the girls. She also kidnaps Keller's wife and threatens to kill her. Loki shoots Holly and saves Keller's wife. He finds the girls in a pit in Holly's basement, barely alive. He saves them. But Keller is still missing. He had gone to Holly's house and was captured. He is now trapped in the pit, alone, as the film ends. Loki hears a faint whistle, the same whistle Keller used to call his daughter. The film ends ambiguously: does Loki find Keller? Does he die? Prisoners was a critical and commercial success, earning over $122 million on a $46 million budget. It was praised for its performances, its direction, and its moral complexity. The film is a dark, disturbing, and unforgettable exploration of the lengths a father will go to for his child.
