An actual good movie review- Prisoners

   Riddick was pretty much the tail end of the summer blockbuster season, and now it's time for more serious fair. Like Prisoners- starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Luckily I can appreciate a good movie as much as something stupid and entertaining like, say  Pacific Rim. Since the movie is a solemn one, I will try and keep this review as such. No Wolverine references, and I apologize for that.

    The movie begins with Keller (Jackman) and his family- a wife, an older boy, and a younger daughter visiting their neighbors the Birches for Thanksgiving. The Birches have a younger and an older daughter, so a playmate for each child of the Kellers. After they eat, the kids go out to play, and the younger daughters begin to play on an RV down the street.The older children pull them off, and take them back inside. Shortly after the younger girls are both missing, but everyone assumes they went off to play somewhere. When no one can find them- they know something is wrong. The Keller's son mentions the RV, and they go to check it out. Naturally, it's gone.
     The police are called, and are sent to a gas station where the RV has been sighted. Enter Detective Loki(Gyllenhal) along with a handful of uniformed officers, they corner the RV. The driver freaks and drives into the woods, impaling the windshield with a tree. Loki boards the vehicle, and find a man of about 30, Alex . Taking him into custody, while questioning him he learns that Alex has an I.Q. of a 10-year-old. So could he have really been responsible for it ?
    Loki investigates the Aunt of Alex, learning that his uncle had left years earlier, but nothing else of note. Alex is released due to lack of evidence. In the parking lot following the release Keller confronts Alex, and just barely audible he whispers "they only cried when I left them." The next night Keller kidnaps Alex, and holds him at an old apartment complex he owns, torturing him for information. No matter how hard he tries, all he gets is gibberish. Detective Loki, with no leads checks out local pedophiles,  and soon appears on the doorstop of a Clergyman. The Father is passed out drunk on the floor, so Loki decides to check around, and finds a hidden room. In the basement, a decayed corpse is found with a mysterious necklace.
      So how does this all tie together ? Did Alex really do anything ? Who took the girls ? There's only one way to find out- see it! Hugh Jackman gives a riveting performance as a man pushed too far, willing to do anything to get his daughter back.I'm sure he'll get an Oscar for this role. Jake Gyllenhaal is almost as impressive giving what I would consider the best performance of his career (sorry Donnie Darko). The movie is intense, and dramatic, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The tension in air was almost palpable. If it wasn't for Pacific Rim, this might be my favorite movie this year. The only issue was the movie was a bit long.

Prisoners- 9/10