Prisoners

A closer look at the story

Prisoners opens with every parent's worst nightmare: a father's six-year-old daughter has been taken. Frantic to find her, he soon stops believing that the detective in charge of the case can bring her back. Driven by desperation and rage, he resolves to pursue justice in his own way. That decision sends the two men down separate roads towards the same goal, and puts them on course for a confrontation neither can avoid. As the hunt goes on, the lines start to blur: the effort to find the child hardens into obsession, and the urge to do the right thing gives way to grave moral compromises. Denis Villeneuve directed this 153-minute thriller drama from 2013, written by Aaron Guzikowski. Hugh Jackman plays Keller Dover and Jake Gyllenhaal plays Detective Loki, with Viola Davis, Maria Bello and Terrence Howard also in the cast. Given its harrowing premise, it is aimed at adults.