Prisoners (2013) - Like All Of Us.

★★★★☆

Two little girls are abducted. A suspect is arrested but released soon after on account of no solid evidence against him. Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman), one of the girls’ fathers, decides to abduct the suspect and torture him to tell the girls’ whereabouts. Abduction movies usually open with a warm happy scene of family members getting together or stuff, turning into a pessimistic situation right after someone in the family is gone missing. ‘Prisoners’ nevertheless, begins with a prayer to God before pulling the trigger that causes a deer’s life, followed by a father’s talk to his son about how to get prepared for the worst in life. And the tone of it keeps dark and bleak till the end even though the ending is sort of a comfort after all.

An impressive crime thriller is able to keep the truth till the very last moment. ‘Prisoners’ is an excellent demonstration of such kind. The script stays intriguing throughout, and it’s unlikely to be sure who exactly the abductor is till it’s finally revealed. Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as a detective is convincing and appreciated though he looks pretty calm and self-controlled most of the time, while Hugh Jackman’s Keller Dover goes hysterical and furious more than often on the contrary. I don’t know if it’s a flaw or what, but as a religious man as he seems, isn’t he supposed to be a bit more merciful and forgiving? Right, a father will definitely get desperate once he finds his daughter missing but madness like that won’t get you anywhere, will it? It’ll only distract you from the truth itself. Keller’s such a desperado in the film, and while we think he should be learning his lesson anyway, the director has mercy on him instead. Some may not like it, but I feel consoled.

Like it or not, we’re all like prisoners or victims trapped in our experiences, mindsets and emotions. No matter where you’re going, or what you’re doing, you’ll never be free unless you’re able to really free your mind from getting stuck in the past (what you’ve learned) and lost in the future (what you might come across). Meditations may help but learning to be less desirable day by day is a much more practical way. It may sound like bullshit though, because you know living for now is never easy for us sentient beings, but think about it. The past is irreversible. The future is unpredictable. What choice do we have then?