The Hugh Jackman Crime Drama Hidden Gem You Can Stream On Hulu
The crime drama Prisoners, directed by the forthcoming Dune's Denis Villeneuve, opened in theaters in 2013 to widespread approval, but little fanfare. With a stellar cast — Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis — and a captivating, twist-filled plot, Prisoners is more than worth your attention now that you can catch it streaming.
In Prisoners, two children go missing suddenly on Thanksgiving. The plot follows one of the children's parents, Keller Dover (Jackman), as he takes it upon himself to find out what happened, while Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) pursues his own investigation. After the initial arrest of Alex (Paul Dano) — the driver of a motorhome parked on their street and the only apparent lead — falls through, the mystery only deepens.
The drama was quite well-received and, as of now, holds an 81% critical score and an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film still flies under the radar. Now that it's available to stream on Hulu, however, you really have no excuse not to catch up with Prisoners.
Prisoners is a gripping suspense film led by a great cast
The film has garnered praise on essentially all fronts — writing, directing, acting, and even the cinematography by Roger Deakins. In its review, Empire deemed it a "smartly structured, solidly performed thriller, executing intertwining races against time — to save both the girls, and prove Alex's innocence or guilt — within the same psychological labyrinth."
The Hollywood Reporter noted all of the deft performances by the actors, but singled out Jackman in particular: "Jackman gives what may be the most intense and satisfying performance of his career ... far more complex and tormented ... than his first appearance as macho hunter [suggests]."
Cinemalogue, bringing attention to screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski's script, praised the interweaving of narrative within the overall suspense: "It remains gripping because of the realistic grounding of its characters and the raw vulnerability in the performances." Cinemalogue then added that it also has a "crowd-pleasing climax."
In what may be the most explicit praise, The Standard called it "one of the best films of the year." With all that in mind, Prisoners is practically begging for streaming fans to check it out on Hulu.