Prisoners (15)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

4 Stars

The moral dilemma of how far you would go to save your children from harm's way is explored to devastating effect in this slow-burning thriller about paedophiles, serial killers and every parent's worst nightmare.

Hugh Jackman delivers the most intense and heart-breaking performance of his career as Keller Dover, a father who takes matters into his own hands when his young daughter and her best friend go missing at Thanksgiving in the US.

Frustrated by the slow moving police investigation headed by Detective Loki (an overly tattooed Jake Gyllenhaal), Jackman takes the prime suspect, a creepy bespectacled youth (Paul Dano), prisoner.

He tortures and beats him to a pulp in a bid to discover his daughter's whereabouts and you can't help but sympathise with Jackman's horrendous plight while feeling truly uneasy watching him cross an ethical line.

In the process, director Denis Villeneuve delves masterfully behind the closed doors of a suburban Christian community, reeling you in frame by frame.

He never rushes the action but allows it to unfold at a methodical pace as he racks up the tension while scrutinising the religious overtones and moral ambiguities faced by the protagonists.

A bleak yet intelligent and riveting thriller where everyone is a victim, Prisoners will stay with you long after the end credits.

Maria Duarte