6. Prisoners
Grade: B+My Take: Prisoners is a movie that has seemed to take many by surprise. With a fairly unexceptional thriller premise about two suburban neighborhood families whose daughters go missing during their Thanksgiving Day party, many expected stock genre material that would be good for a 2-hour mystery ride but wouldn't have any staying power beyond its initial viewing. While technically the script may not be far off from that, the film is elevated way beyond your standard thriller procedural with the keen direction of Denis Villeneuve and strikingly beautiful lensing from the one and only Roger Deakins. Combine this with some career best work from the likes Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, and you have the recipe for quite the accomplished thriller. Oh... and did I mention how great the cinematography is from Roger Deakins.
Oscar Prospects: Probably not as good as they should be. For a film without any connections to super heroes or young adult fiction novels, Prisoners did surprisingly good numbers at the box office in the States when it opened in late September. The film also received third place for Toronto's Audience Award (behind winner 12 Years a Slave and runner-up Philomena), an award voted for by the paying-public who make up the bulk of the audience in the festival's public screenings, so clearly the film has a solid fanbase among the masses. Unfortunately though, the Academy has had a history of aversion to thrillers, as Prisoners oft-compared peer, Zodiac, found out in 2007. If some of the latter-year releases, such as Saving Mr. Banks, The Monuments Men, and American Hustle, really belly-flop hard upon release, Prisoners could sneak back up in conversation, especially if any critics groups see fit to stick for the movie. It may be just as likely though that Prisoners could miss out on the Oscars all together, although if the cinematographers fail to nominate Deakins' work, the Academy may consider putting the branch on suspension for a year.