Director: Denis Villeneuve
Writer: Aaron Guzikowski (Screenplay)
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola David, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, Dylan Minnette
Plot: On a normal Thanksgiving Keller (Jackman) his wide Grace (Bello) and family go to Franklin (Howard) and his family’s house for dinner. All seems to be going well until both their young daughters go back to Keller’s house only not to return. Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) leads the investigation into what happened to the girls and when all clues point to Alex Jones (Dano) the race heats up to find the girls alive.
Verdict: Powerful thriller
Story: What seems like a very routine story soon takes a turn before taking more twists than you thought. Any story that involves a missing child or children will up the intensity of the events. This manages to give the audience enough ethical choices giving you the question how far will you go? Sometimes this sort of stories can fizzle out and lose the edge once the end in revealed, not this one this will keep you until the end. (9/10)
Actor Review: Hugh Jackman – Keller Dover after his daughter goes missing, just how far he will go to get her back. Hugh creates a sum what unlikable character that clashes with friends, family, authority and potential enemies. With this performance we get a very intense role that really leads the film well. Star Performance Award (9/10)
Actor Review: Jake Gyllenhaal – Detective Loki a calm Detective who seems to be a bit a loner but will do everything he can to solve the case. Great performance from Jake showing that he can create a moral right to go against a questionable bad in Jackman role. (9/10)
Actor Review: Terrence Howard – Franklin the neighbour and friend whose daughter also goes missing. Good supporting performance trying to talk Keller into the good but giving up and resorting to faith. (8/10)
Actor Review: Maria Bello – Grace the wife of Keller who ends up trying to sleep through the ordeal. Good supporting role again showing that we all deal with the situation in different ways. (8/10)
Actor Review: Viola Davis – Nancy, Franklin’s wife who sees what is going on and tries to be one that turns him back to the right but is willing to turn her head to what Keller is doing. Good supporting that shows we can let bad things happen for the truth to really be shown. (8/10)
Actor Review: Paul Dano – Alex Jones the first person that gets accused but due to his mental age he struggles to understand what is going on. Great supporting role showing just how capable this guy is, also has to deal with a lot of suffering throughout. (9/10)
Actor Review: Melissa Leo – Holly Jones, Alex’s Aunt who has to keep him safe even though she is struggling to keep everything together after her husband’s disappearance. Good role that has more to her that she lets on. (8/10)
Director Review: Denis Villeneuve – Great direction creating a very tense suspenseful thriller from the moment the girls disappear until the final credits role. (9/10)
Crime: Great crime story with twists and turns to keep you guessing, (9/10)
Drama: The drama will leave you with plenty of questions. (9/10)
Thriller: Edge of the seat from start to finish. (10/10)
Believability: This idea behind the story is true but hard to accept and the final outcome is even more disturbingly true. (8/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Settings: The community feel gives the film a great setting. (9/10)
Suggestion: One of the best thrillers of recent years it would have to be watched by all viewers of films. The length of the film may cause the more casual viewer to lose interest but any real film fan won’t. (Watch)
Best Part: Loki searches a house for clues and gets a surprise.
Trivia: Mark Wahlberg was set to play the lead but didn’t in a funny turn of events Hugh Jackman was meant to be the father in Lovely Bones, both have similar ideas involved.
Oscar Chances: Nominated for one Oscar.
Chances of Sequel: No
Similar Too: Gone Baby Gone
Overall: Brilliant thriller that keeps you guessing
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