Prisoners

Play trailer

Prisoners

R

2013

2h 33m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

248 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) faces a parent's worst nightmare when his 6-year-old daughter, Anna, and her friend go missing. The only lead is an old motorhome that had been parked on their street. The head of the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), arrests the driver (Paul Dano), but a lack of evidence forces Loki to release his only suspect. Dover, knowing that his daughter's life is at stake, decides that he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Prisoners has an emotional complexity and a sense of dread that makes for absorbing (and disturbing) viewing.

Read Critics Reviews

Kate Stables

Sight & Sound

07/31/2018

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.

Go to Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

06/19/2016

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.

Go to Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

04/17/2015

A+

This film haunted me for days and weeks after seeing it, and the feeling still lingers.

Go to Full Review

Miles Surrey

The Ringer

09/29/2023

The tense thriller that put its director on the map...

Go to Full Review

Iván Kazi

EscribiendoCine

12/07/2022

8/10

While the resolution is close to being predictable... the movie's strong suit is something else. The process, the content, and the journey are profoundly immersive. [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/24/2022

4/5

“Prisoners” offers some slick foreboding, crafty twists, and a satisfying ending.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Christian B.

@EL1TEcbom Feb 24

One of my favorite movies. Jake and Hugh were phenomenal as usual. I have never seen such a good plot twist in my life.

See more

Thyaagu C

@Thyaagu Feb 21

Planet sized plot holes, very slow progression, a silly motive driving the chaos, and an unwanted ambiguous ending. Jackman and Gyllenhaal's performances kept me glued. Raw & solid from both.

See more

Koool B

Feb 19

I happened to come on this gem of a movie and wow, it was awesome and symbolic for me. I am at point in my life that I am trying to find God and my own faith, as I am a prisoner of my own body and mind right now. I can't seem to get anything right or do anything right. I praying everyday that my circumstances changes so that I can be better. Hoping that one day God will save me from this prison. I can totally relate to this movie.

See more

Steven F.

@SteveGotScored Feb 19

One of the most intense movies ever!

See more

Dreadful-غسان

@Ic4rus Feb 15

My favorite movie so far. I was completely hooked from start to finish

See more

Mate P

@matepolcz Feb 15

Prisoners is as incredible as most Denis Villenueve films are. I knew what the film would be about, but thankfully that didn't influence my experience at all. There isn't much plot in the literal sense, because the film is very character-driven and they are interesting, not at all black and white. The directing is great with the dark tone that is matched with great cinematography from the legendary Roger Deakins. It's amazing how he managed to make this regular town so moody and dark. The lighting is amazing, while the framing and the camera movement are precise. The pacing is slow, but the film's not boring at any point. The cast is amazing, I knew about most of them, but I was still surprised by some people. The performances are spectacular, just absolutely perfect; all of them. Prisoners is not the best Denis Villeneuve film, but that doesn't say anything on its own. It would be the best of most filmmakers.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Denis Villeneuve

Director

Hugh Jackman

Keller Dover

Jake Gyllenhaal

Det. Loki

Viola Davis

Nancy Birch

Maria Bello

Grace Dover

Terrence Howard

Franklin Birch

Out of the Furnace

53%

52%

Out of the Furnace

Watchlist

Broken City

26%

40%

Broken City

Watchlist

Trance

68%

62%

Trance

Watchlist

Runner Runner

8%

33%

Runner Runner

Watchlist

The Counselor

34%

24%

The Counselor

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Hugh Jackman’s 10 Best Movies

Jake Gyllenhaal’s 10 Best Movies

Naomi Judd’s Five Favorite Films

View more photos

Synopsis

Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) faces a parent's worst nightmare when his 6-year-old daughter, Anna, and her friend go missing. The only lead is an old motorhome that had been parked on their street. The head of the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), arrests the driver (Paul Dano), but a lack of evidence forces Loki to release his only suspect. Dover, knowing that his daughter's life is at stake, decides that he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Producer: Broderick Johnson, Kira Davis, Andrew A. Kosove, Adam Kolbrenner
Screenwriter: Aaron Guzikowski
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: 8:38 Productions, Madhouse Entertainment
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Disturbing Violent Content|Torture)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 20, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.0M
Runtime: 2h 33m
Sound Mix: Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now