Missing Child in the Movie "Prisoners"

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Held an Overall Captive of Prisoners

Written by Aaron Guzikowski and directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film Prisoners, was released in the fall of 2013 (IMDb). While the film offers a universal theme of “what would you do if your child went missing?”, has a substantial plot that is riddled with religious references and symbols, filled with twists and turns, and a superb cast of well-known actors, the movie fails because of its plot predictability, an unsatisfying ending and portrayals of characters that fall into unflattering stereotypes.

Written in 2007 Guzikowski states that Prisoners began as a “little short story I wrote for my own amusement,” (qtd in Prison Break). In the Prison Break interview Guzikowski reveals that the script for the movie has been around almost as long as the story itself and unlike most films, the script remained intact and unchanged. After several years, with several different directors, and actors in mind, the film finally came into fruition when Denis Villeneuve came on board (Prison Break). Guzikowski and Villeneuve made “a few changes together” (qtd. in Prison Break), and in the interview, Guzikowski says, “I enlarged the detective character a bit more and made it a little more of a two-hander, but beyond that, it never really changed at all.”

The idea for the film is based on every parent’s worst nightmare. The concept based-plot is filled with twists and turns, captivating the audience. This film succeeds in creating the desired feeling of suspense with its sound score and creates heightened emotions by filming on location and often in the dead of night. Filmed in realistic color, the storyline takes place on Thanksgiving and the days after. The scenes are often filmed outside, in the cold ...

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...iliar in film with examples August: Osage County and Blue Jasmine, both of which were also released in 2013. Although the viewer has been given enough clues and details to surmise their own conclusion at the end of the film Prisoners, it is an unsatisfying ending. This conclusion may be just another subtle reminder of the title, as the viewer is left psychologically detained by the unfulfilled resolution of this particular film.

Works Cited

Adiamor Diamonds & Fine Jewelry. Advertisement. Masonic Ring, The Meaning And The Symbol On It 31 Dec. 2012. Web. 07 May 2014.

“IMDb.” Rev. of Prisoners, dir. Denis Villeneuve. IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc. 2013.

Jensen, Todd. “Prison Break” WGA.org. Writers Guild of America, West. 20 Sep. 2013. Web. 05 May 2014.

Prisoners. Dir. Denis Villeneuve. Perf. Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal. Warner Brothers. 2013. Film.

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