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Prisoners

Play trailer Poster for Prisoners R 2013 2h 33m Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
81% Tomatometer 248 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) faces a parent's worst nightmare when his 6-year-old daughter, Anna, and her friend go missing. The only lead is an old motorhome that had been parked on their street. The head of the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), arrests the driver (Paul Dano), but a lack of evidence forces Loki to release his only suspect. Dover, knowing that his daughter's life is at stake, decides that he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
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Prisoners

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Critics Consensus

Prisoners has an emotional complexity and a sense of dread that makes for absorbing (and disturbing) viewing.

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Critics Reviews

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Kate Stables Sight & Sound Jul 31, 2018
Guzikowski's well-honed thriller occasionally idles under Villeneuve's dark character studies, but the director's powerfully imposed mood of dread elevates what might otherwise have been just a superior police procedural. Go to Full Review
Jason Bailey Flavorwire Jun 19, 2016
An increasingly sloppy thriller, filled with obvious clues, laughable red herrings, and halfhearted "shock" reveals, played at a snail's pace that lets far too much air into the narrative. Go to Full Review
Chris Stuckmann ChrisStuckmann.com Apr 17, 2015
A+
This film haunted me for days and weeks after seeing it, and the feeling still lingers. Go to Full Review
Carla Renata The Curvy Film Critic Mar 24, 2026
PRISONERS, however, is the most jaw-dropping thriller I have seen in years!  It was absolutely thrilling, spellbinding and kept my attention from beginning to end. Go to Full Review
Miles Surrey The Ringer Sep 29, 2023
The tense thriller that put its director on the map... Go to Full Review
Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Aug 24, 2022
4/5
“Prisoners” offers some slick foreboding, crafty twists, and a satisfying ending. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Janav S @TheCoolJ92781 5 days ago A deeply disturbing psychological thriller, Denis Villeneuve breaks the norm between genres and makes one of the greatest movies of all time. It's not horror; it's better than that. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal have excellent chemistry and performances, and the end is worth dying for. Must-watch!!! See more Jamie D @Jdawg519 Sep 11, 2026 Awesome movie. Tough subject matter but nothing too graphic See more Julian C @juliancooper_12 Sep 8, 2026 The emotional toil on the viewer and the brutal scenes of torture makes this one of the best crime thrillers in years. See more Julien M @jmontmayeur7 Sep 8, 2026 This movie is a masterpiece. It is so electric and intense that you are locked to that T.V. That being said even if one might watch it for simply the plot the movie goes so much deeper. Each of the characters shows what humans are really like and explores human nature when put under the most pressure it can take. The acting from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal is honestly off the charts. Each character provides something different to the film and showcases how different and similar we are as humans. The plot twist or reveal is also very well executed. See more Brahnavan B @i_love_movie_theatres_more_than_u Sep 6, 2026 A masterpiece in every way. Slow enough to have depth and meaning but fast enough to keep you engaged and waiting for the next plot twist or reveal. My only gripe with is it takes a while to get going and lingers on the importance of the moment maybe 15 minutes too long, but still well worth a watch. See more Dean F @DFtheTruth Sep 5, 2026 This movie has brilliant deep meanings and some of the most intense scenes which make you question how far you would go for your children. The main twist is kind of predictable but it doesn't take away from the rest of the movie and the ending makes up for it. See more Read all reviews
Prisoners

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Movie Info

Synopsis Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) faces a parent's worst nightmare when his 6-year-old daughter, Anna, and her friend go missing. The only lead is an old motorhome that had been parked on their street. The head of the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), arrests the driver (Paul Dano), but a lack of evidence forces Loki to release his only suspect. Dover, knowing that his daughter's life is at stake, decides that he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
Director
Denis Villeneuve
Producer
Broderick Johnson, Kira Davis, Andrew A. Kosove, Adam Kolbrenner
Screenwriter
Aaron Guzikowski
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
8:38 Productions, Madhouse Entertainment
Rating
R (Language Throughout|Disturbing Violent Content|Torture)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 20, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$61.0M
Runtime
2h 33m
Sound Mix
Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital
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