Prisoners is a long and entertaining movie. My wife and I both enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s gripping and suspenseful. But it’s not a film I would ever need to experience again. The story is a bit two-dimensional, character development is a bit shallow, the pacing is a touch slow across the board, the dialog is serviceable but somewhat sparse and not all that interesting, and once all the surprises are finally revealed the overall story seems in retrospect a little contrived and hollow. It’s a good-in-the-moment, creepy abduction thriller – way more interesting and dignified than Silence of the Lambs, more exciting and satisfying (if less textured) than The Lovely Bones, perhaps equivalent to Gone Baby Gone, and no where near masterpieces of the genera, like Klute.

Basically, Jake Gyllenhaal is what makes Prisoners as enjoyable as it is. I don’t know why the guy is not regarded as one of the best actors of his generation, because I certainly regard him as such. I’m consistently amazed at how perfectly he gauges his delivery and his facial expressions, a talent that allows him to make the absolute most out of average or even sub-par dialog. He also has this marvelous way of channeling his on-screen charisma in very productive directions, unlike most charismatic actors who simply overwhelm their films. Most of all, he’s just plain fun to watch. His performance alone is a reason to see this film – he singlehandedly makes the story seem more textured and interesting than it actually is. Prisoners also features a lot of good supporting actors – Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Melissa Leo, Terrence Howard, Hugh Jackman, Paul Dano – who turn in very solid performances while working with mostly routine, fairly unscintillating material.

Prisoners seems to be getting crap distribution, but if it’s playing near you I would definitely recommend it. And by the standards of the Academy, I think the Oscar-talk circulating about this film is probably justified – after all, it’s a considerably better film than Blue Jasmine, which is almost certain to get a nomination. But Prisoners is not really close to receiving an award here at Irreviews. It’s a good, solid, and enjoyable crime thriller, but unfortunately not much more than that.