Prisoners , the dark drama starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, took the box office by storm this weekend bringing in $21.4 million.
The film starts change from blockbusters to more substantial flicks as the award season gets ready to roll out nominations for the most coveted prizes the industry has to offer.
Warner Bros. and Denis Villeneuve bring us this heart-wrenching tale of two families whose world turns upside down after their daughters are kidnapped on Thanksgiving day.
In the main roles, we see Hugh Jackman transform into a vigilante type after he becomes frustrated at the slowness with which the kidnapping of his little girl is moving along.
The detective in charge of the case, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is just a bit creepy, and there is something mysterious about him all along, making one wonder if he has anything to do with the abduction.
Paul Dano is the most obvious suspect and the object of Jackman’s fury and desperation, but the film also leaves the door open to the possibility that he is not actually the guilty party.
Prisoners is not for the faint of heart. It’s a dark, tough movie to watch with raw emotions on all sides and plenty of violence. Be warned: You won’t be leaving the theater feeling good about this topic.
But, and this is a big but, the performances are certainly worth the visit to the movies. All around strong cast, script writer, and director makes Prisoners a strong contender during award season.
In second place at this weekend box office is Insidious: Chapter 2 with $14.5 million on its second week in theaters, followed by the dark comedy The Family, with Robert DeNiro in third place, bringing in $7 million, and the Spanish language surprise of the fall so far, Instructions Not Included, in fourth place with $5.7 million.
Prisoners also stars Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, and Melissa Leo. The movie has received a very good 79 percent of critics at the always tough to please website Rotten Tomatoes and a 90 percent rating from the audience, which is a testament to the excellent cast.
