The daughters of a rural Pennsylvanian handyman (Hugh Jackman), his wife (Maria Bello), and their next door neighbors (Terrence Howard and Viola Davis) vanish without a trace during a dinner party. When the lead detective on the case (Jake Gyllenhaal) interrogates a suspicious, feeble minded suspect (Paul Dano) to no avail and is forced to set him free, the father takes it upon himself to get answers from the suspect. Prisoners is a B thriller, dressed up with A money and a star cast, and drawn out needlessly to two and a half hours which are compounded by unrelenting suspense music, Roger Deakins photography that calls attention to itself, and Hugh Jackman. Gyllenhaal, one of the more reliable working actors, carries the ball about as far as he can and Howard and Davis are strong in throwaway roles.
