A thousand things can go wrong in a kidnapping investigation, and ¡°Prisoners¡± goes through about 100 of them before you lose count. After that it¡¯s easy to blackout under the chokehold of desperation that defines both the film and its protagonist, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman).

The film begins with a Thanksgiving meal shared by two families, a holiday get-together which has long been a ritual. Everything is the picture of normalcy, until that horrible moment when the parents realize their 7-year-old daughters ¡ª Anna (Erin Gerasimovich) and Joy (Kyla Drew Simmons) ¡ª are missing.

In an instant, Keller¡¯s expression changes from mild worry to absolute panic. Throughout the film, director Denis Villeneuve composes his shots in such a way that Keller¡¯s face is almost always present. We slowly understand that whatever the outcome of this tragedy may be, Keller will never celebrate Thanksgiving in the same way again.