Sunday, 29 September 2013

REVIEW - PRISONERS


Prisoners is by no means any great shakes as any kind of movie. Aaron Guzikowski's script gets lost in attending to one whim after another, all quite ably handled by the way, and it's only Denis Villeneuve's patient, sensitive directing that melds it all together. But at its heart, Prisoners is pulpy melodrama, and at its best when at its ugliest; there's a lot of ugly on display here, and it's damn good shit. Hugh Jackman's frantic father and Jake Gyllenhaal's police officer battle it out to see which can come across more repellent - Jackman ends up winning by quite some way. And Prisoners gets by on the conflict which it causes in our minds as we realise that this man, who convention dictates ought to receive our sympathy, is a real nasty, passively abusive piece of work, and then on our futile search for an appropriately sympathetic alternative. Guzikowski has created a most favourable panoply of characters - unusually, they don't each represent distinct emotions or motivations from our perspective, but are each imbued with their own complex knit of psychological features. And its covert method of establishing narrative clues as we're busy adjusting to the story's moral and emotional content is very smart. Villeneuve coaxes excellent performances from his cast, none of whom (not even Hugh) overplay their hand (until Melissa Leo drops the ball, alas). He makes some questionable specific directorial choices, though, choosing to cut several scenes shorter than they need to be, and sometimes stymying the film's desire to amply indulge in its pulpiness. And while Roger Deakins' cinematography is typically splendid, Villeneuve does allow the camera to linger a little too often to drink it all in, when a leaner, meaner approach might have been better suited to the material.

3 comments:

  1. So, Deakins set for his 11th Oscar nomination? Who do you think has a better chance of making the cut, Dod Mantle or Deakins?
    There's a chatter about a possibility about screenplay consideration? And acting nominations?
    Am inclined to believe on what you mentioned during its Telluirde/Toronto Festival round that its gonna have a hard time trying to keep the buzz alive till the end of season. What are your thoughts on awards' perspective after having seen the movie?
    And after seeing the Rush, Daniel Brühl is spectacular as Niki Lauda. Incredible transformation.Totally with you about his breakthrough. Hope there's some viable campaign for him. His acting warrants it and may well earn him a nomination with little momentum.
    And glad to know that you would be covering BFI LFF. Shall be looking forward for your reviews away from rainy Belfast.

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    1. I think Roger Deakins has a better chance at a nomination. 0/10 compared to Anthony Dod Mantle's 1/1. But both are mavericks, no doubt.

      A screenplay nomination is definitely a possibility, but Original Screenplay is heaving with contenders atm. It has chances in a few categories, that and Cinematography being among them, but I'm sceptical about acting nominations.

      Lol yeh my reviews away from rainy Belfast and in rainy London instead!

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