Prisoners (2013)
86%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
10 wins & 38 nominations total
Prisoners has an emotional complexity and a sense of dread that makes for absorbing (and disturbing) viewing
Prisoners” is a movie that will have you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, and wondering who the heck did it. The film is a thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. The director’s use of mood and atmosphere is so powerful that you’ll feel like you’re right there with the characters, experiencing their fear and desperation. And let’s not forget about Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance, which is nothing short of amazing. Overall, “Prisoners” is a must-see for anyone who loves a good mystery and doesn’t mind a little bit of darkness.
Production Company(ies)
Why Not Productions, Chic Films, Page 114
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Conyers, Georgia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for disturbing violent content including torture, and language throughout
Year of Release
2013
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 33m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 20, 2013 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 17, 2013
Genre(s)
Drama/Crime
Keyword(s)
starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, directed by Denis Villeneuve, written by Aaron Guzikowski, drama, crime, mystery, thriller, R rating, box office performance, $61.0M gross USA, reviewed by Kate Stables, Jason Bailey, Chris Stuckmann, Jonathan Romney, Kate Erbland, Wesley Morris, Matt Neal, Mike Massie, Grant Watson, Richard Propes, Brent McKnight, Hugh Jackman as Keller Dover, Jake Gyllenhaal as Detective Loki, Viola Davis as Nancy Birch, Maria Bello as Grace Dover, Terrence Howard as Franklin Birch, Melissa Leo as Holly Jones, produced by Broderick Johnson, Kira Davis, Andrew A Kosove, Adam Kolbrenner
Worldwide gross: $122,126,687
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $155,143,396
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 822
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 16,918,582
US/Canada gross: $61,002,302
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $77,494,154
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 872
US/Canada opening weekend: $20,817,053
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $26,444,902
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 516
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $46,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $58,436,009
Production budget ranking: 698
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $31,467,791
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $65,239,596
ROI to date (est.): 73%
ROI ranking: 1,049
Jake Gyllenhaal – Det. Loki
Viola Davis – Nancy Birch
Maria Bello – Grace Dover
Terrence Howard – Franklin Birch
Melissa Leo – Holly Jones
Director(s)
Denis Villeneuve
Writer(s)
Aaron Guzikowski
Producer(s)
Broderick Johnson, Kira Davis, Andrew A. Kosove, Adam Kolbrenner
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
10 wins & 38 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (253) | Top Critics (78) | Fresh (204) | Rotten (49)
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.
July 31, 2018
Kate Stables
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
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.
June 19, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
This film haunted me for days and weeks after seeing it, and the feeling still lingers.
April 17, 2015 | Rating: A+
Chris Stuckmann
ChrisStuckmann.com
TOP CRITIC
Prisoners — sometimes awkwardly, for the most part persuasively — does a delicate balancing act between outright nightmare and naturalism.
February 6, 2014
Jonathan Romney
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Even the most seemingly benign scenes posses a low level of fear, and the final hour is heavy enough to leave audiences shaking (and shaken).
December 21, 2013 | Rating: B+
Kate Erbland
Film School Rejects
TOP CRITIC
Jackman is still in his phase of high-masculine misery… The entire performance is an exclamation point, and he swings it like a baseball bat.
October 4, 2013
Wesley Morris
Grantland
TOP CRITIC
Filmed like a horror film, and with a mood to match, Prisoners is haunting and will stick with you.
December 22, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Matt Neal
ABC Radio (Australia)
Despite a kidnapping premise that has the strength and suspense to pull viewers in, the running time offers a drastic disservice.
December 4, 2020 | Rating: 5/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
There is a level of bleakness to Villeneuve’s film that one usually only sees in the film cultures of Japan and South Korea – a willingness to take a narrative one step further than its audience might be comfortable taking.
October 8, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Grant Watson
Fiction Machine
The film’s real powerhouse performance may very well come from Jake Gyllenhaal.
September 20, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
“Prisoners” is a mystery that is as physically and emotionally pulverizing to you the viewer as it is to the characters.
July 8, 2020 | Rating: B-
Brent McKnight
The Last Thing I See
Prisoners is a dark, tense and brutal movie.
July 7, 2020
Damond Fudge
KCCI (Des Moines, IA)…
Plot
How far would you go to protect your family? Keller Dover is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki arrests its driver, Alex Jones, but a lack of evidence forces his release. As the police pursue multiple leads and pressure mounts, knowing his child’s life is at stake the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
“Jackman is still in his phase of high-masculine misery… The entire performance is an exclamation point, and he swings it like a baseball bat.” – Wesley Morris, Grantland
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