History Film / Prisoners

''Prisoners'' got cinematographer Roger Deakins his twelfth nomination for an UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardForBestCinematography.

''Prisoners'' got cinematographer Roger Deakins his twelfth nomination for an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Cinematography.

* ExactWords: Alex Jones' statement to Keller that "[the girls] didn't cry until I left them." [[spoiler:This ended up being literally true. Alex wasn't the kidnapper/serial killer; he only took the girls for a joyride. As Holly later explains to Keller, "I was the one who decided they should stay." The girls didn't cry until Alex left them because ''they weren't kidnapped'' until after Alex left them.]]

** "You were there." [[spoiler:From Joy to Keller in the hospital. For just a second it seems like maybe ''he's'' actually the guilty party, but then you see the flashbacks to the maze books and it all starts to make sense]].

* ExactWords: Alex Jones' statement to Keller that "[the girls] didn't cry until I left them." [[spoiler:Literally true. Alex only took the girls for a joyride; he's not the kidnapper/serial killer. As Holly later explains to Keller, "I was the one who decided they should stay." The girls didn't cry until Alex left them because ''they weren't kidnapped'' until after Alex left them.]]

* HollywoodLaw: Loki not working with a partner and walking into dangerous situations without calling for backup first is not in line with actual police procedure. But it does make for good drama.

** Earlier in the film, "They didn't cry until I left them." [[spoiler:Spoken by Alex Jones in the parking lot, which prompts Keller's HeWhoFightsMonsters streak as he becomes certain this means Jones kidnapped the girls. Actually, while Jones ''does'' know where they are, his statement was literally true: the only thing he did was take the girls for a joyride. As he was leaving, Holly Jones "decided they should stay", and ''that'' was what made them cry.]]

** [[spoiler:The random child predator who was murdered by the priest.]]

The film revolves around two close families in Pennsylvania as they meet to celebrate Thanksgiving. After dinner, the families realize that both of their youngest daughters have vanished without a trace. As minutes turn to hours, panic sets in -- alongside the feeling that the little girls have been abducted.

''Prisoners'' is a 2013 American mystery thriller film directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve from a screenplay written by Aaron Guzikowski. The film stars Creator/HughJackman, Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, Creator/ViolaDavis, Creator/TerrenceHoward, and Creator/PaulDano. It is Villeneuve's first predominantly English-language feature (his prior ones being mainly in French), and -- par for the course for the director -- is ''incredibly'' dark.

''Prisoners'' was well-received, particularly for its performances and cinematography - it got cinematographer Roger Deakins his twelfth Best Cinematography nomination at the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward 86th Academy Awards]].

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Horribly deconstructed.

** Played with. While Keller never ascribes the pronoun "it" to Alex during his torture, he certainly subscribes to the spirit of the trope (denying him his humanity and personhood) by saying that Alex "stopped being a person the moment he took [his and Franklin's] daughters".

** Loki is interested in [[Film/{{Zodiac}} zodiacs]]; he is introduced inspecting a Chinese zodiac, and has zodiacal sign symbols tattooed on his right-hand fingers (Leo, Scorpio, Aries, Virgo).

* AdultFear: Very much so for the parents of the little girls abducted.

** Also features Paul Dano singing about [[Film/TheBatman Batman laying an egg]].

** Also features Paul Dano singing about [[Film/TheBatman(2022) Batman laying an egg]].

[[caption-width-right:320:''"Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst."'']]

* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler:Keller trying to get information out of Alex]] is a long, drawn-out, ''excruciatingly'' depicted, '''''[[NightmareFuel horrific]]''''', and worst of all [[spoiler:completely pointless]] process that includes [[spoiler:Alex having his face beaten to a pulp, almost having his hand broken with a hammer, and being sealed in a shower that runs either extremely hot or extremely cold water]]. For these reasons, the film had to be edited down from its original NC-17 rating.

* CoversAlwaysLie: The poster mentions who in the AllStarCast won or was nominated for an Oscar. [[AwardSnub All except]] Paul Dano.

** The priest. [[spoiler:And, more specifically, the

* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler:Keller trying to get information out of Alex]] is a long, drawn-out, ''excruciatingly'' depicted, '''''[[NightmareFuel horrific]]''''', and worst of all [[spoiler:completely pointless]] process that includes [[spoiler:Adam having his face beaten to a pulp, almost having his hand broken with a hammer, and being sealed in a shower that runs either extremely hot or extremely cold water]]. For these reasons, the film had to be edited down from its original NC-17 rating.

''Prisoners'' is a 2013 American mystery thriller film directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve from a screenplay written by Aaron Guzikowski. The film stars Creator/HughJackman, Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, Creator/ViolaDavis, Terrence Howard, and Creator/PaulDano. It is Villeneuve's first predominantly English-language feature (his prior ones being mainly in French), and -- par for the course for the director -- is ''incredibly'' dark.

* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler:Keller trying to get information out of Alex]] is a long, drawn-out, ''excruciatingly'' depicted, and worst of all [[spoiler:completely pointless]] process that includes [[spoiler:Keller savagely beating Adam, almost breaking his hand with a hammer, and sealing him in a shower that runs either extremely hot or extremely cold water]]. For these reasons, the film had to be edited down from its original NC-17 rating.

* ExactWords: "They didn't cry until I left them." [[spoiler:Literally true. Alex Jones only took the girls for a joyride. He's not the kidnapper/serial killer. As Holly later explains to Keller, "I was the one who decided they should stay." The girls didn't cry until Alex left them because ''they weren't kidnapped'' until after Alex left them.]]
* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: "Make sure they cremate me. I don't want to be buried in some damn box." Said by [[spoiler:Holly Jones before Detective Loki shoots her.]]

** Earlier in the film, "They didn't cry until I left them." [[spoiler:Spoken by Alex Jones in the parking lot, which prompts Keller's HeWhoFightsMonsters streak as he becomes certain this means Jones kidnapped the girls. Actually, while Jones ''does'' know where they are, his statement was literally true: the only thing Alex Jones did was take the girls for a joyride. As he was leaving, Holly Jones "decided they should stay", and ''that'' was what made them cry.]]

''Prisoners'' is a 2013 American thriller film directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve from a screenplay written by Aaron Guzikowski. The film stars Creator/HughJackman, Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, Creator/ViolaDavis, Terrence Howard, and Creator/PaulDano. It is Villeneuve's first predominantly English-language feature (his prior ones being mainly in French), and -- par for the course for the director -- is ''incredibly'' dark.

The film revolves around two close families in Pennsylvania as they meet to celebrate Thanksgiving. After dinner, they realize that both of their youngest daughters have vanished without a trace. As minutes turn to hours, panic sets in, and the feeling sets in among the families that their little girls have been abducted.

* ActorAllusion:
** When detective Loki (Creator/JakeGyllenhaal) is looking through the notebook he finds at Bob Taylor's, the last page you see has a character drawn on it that looks a lot like [[Film/DonnieDarko Frank]].
** Loki is interested in zodiacs. He is introduced inspecting a Chinese zodiac. He also has zodiacal sign symbols tattooed on his right-hand fingers (Leo, Scorpio, Aries, Virgo). Jake Gyllenhaal starred in ''Film/{{Zodiac}}''.

* AloneWithThePsycho: Played with. [[spoiler:Keller ends up alone with Holly who disables him. The arrival of the TheCavalry in form of Loki is delayed but still in time to save Keller and his daughter.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Joy and Anna are found, but, assuming that Detective Loki gets Keller out of the hole in time, his life is still effectively ruined, as he'll probably go to prison and his relationship with his family will be strained. We also don't know how the kids will react to the trauma of their kidnapping, considering Bob Taylor was severely damaged by it]].

* ColdBloodedTorture: The film includes some very disturbing torture scenes which can make for uncomfortable viewing. To put it into perspective, the film had to be edited down from its original rating, which was NC-17.