Prisoners
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo
This taut crime thriller stars a slew of A-list talent that would set off most filmmakers’ Pavlovian reflex. Keller and Grace Dover (Hugh Jackman and Maria Bello) and Franklin and Nancy Birch (Terrence Howard and Viola Davis) are close friends and parents whose young daughters go missing on Thanksgiving Day. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is the ace investigator assigned to crack the case. The raw emotion and sheer terror of losing a child is nearly impossible to watch, and yet the performances are so compelling, you can’t tear your eyes away from the screen. This three-hanky roller-coaster ride into the abyss of messy humanness is sure to garner multiple Oscar nods. And well it should. –p.d. lee
