Jake Gyllenhaal doesn't get enough credit...he has become an amazing actor over the last 8 years.

One of the most underappreciated movies ever

When u realize that dead guy below the priests place is the old ladies husband

One thing you're forgetting about the whistle is the scene in the hospital when the little girl is wheeled in to thank the detective he says " oh I see you've found the whistle" and the mother said no we never found it, this is a new one. Then at the last 30 seconds after he first hears it he shakes his head almost like no it couldn't be then he hears it for sure and I think at that moment he connected the dots and realized Dover was there using the whistle and no doubt found him alive.

It would have been so depressing (as if this movie isn't depressing enough) if he just shook his head, said to him, "eh, it's probably nothing" and drove off.

Ending was perfect. It's not about "Did he find Dover or not". It's pretty obvious Mr. "Everything Matters" wouldn't sleep until he found the source of the whistle. The ending was a question to the audience: "Does Dover deserve to be pardoned for what he did to Alex?". It's still up in the air whether Alex is a twisted psychopath himself. He hurt the dog for no reason and showed zero remorse or sympathy towards the girls predicament. The movie is over in 2 seconds if he just says where the girls are, but he takes a beating instead.

Agreed! Prisoners is a fantastic movie from start to finish.

Jake Gyllenhaal, possibly the most underrated actor of all time.

What I found the funniest in this film is how Keller's son gets pissed at him in one scene, gets silenced by his father, and then you don't see him for the rest of the film lol

It's worth noting that, according to an interview with Gyllenhaal I read, they actually filmed Loki moving the car, lifting the plywood cover and discovering a half-dead Dover in the hole. The final shot of the film would've been them wordlessly locking eyes, with a "troubled" expression on Loki's face. The filmmakers decided to cut it very late in the process. I guess stuff like this proves that the expression "movies are made in the editing room" is actually true.

One thing I noticed is that the "fading to black" effect only happens whenever a prisoner is rescued/taken in in this movie (the movie cuts straight to another scene every other time). It happens at 4 points in this movie: 1. when Bob Taylor was arrested 2. when Barry/Alex was found by Loki 3. when Anna was taken to the hospital 4. at the end, when Loki heard Keller's whistle I thought it's pretty neat

Was expecting you to mention how every character is a "prisoner" in different ways.

Just finished the movie, hands down one of the best movies ever. And the last scene I swear I was about to scream “COME ON FUUUUCK”

Why the last 30 seconds of prisoners is perfect? I'll tell you why: JAKE GYLLENHAAL

This is a tough movie to watch. Very heavy

I remember I saw this movie and figured Hugh Jackman deserved an Oscar...than I saw Logan and was like *HUGH JACKMAN DESERVES AN OSCAR*

This movie seems like the better version of heavy rain

I'm sure that Loki saves Dover. As in the beginning we are told Loki always finishes his cases and find the culprits and in the movie he finally saves Anna. Now in the hospital when Dover wife asks him whether he would be able to find Dover, after minor second pauses and thinking Loki says: Yeah. So finally he must have found him..

DUDE. HOLY SHIT THIS IS THE FIRST MOVIE IN YEARS THAT HAS CAPTURED MY FULL 105% ATTENTION OMG

This will all be resolved in the upcoming "Prisoners 2: The Reckoning" directed by Michael Bay.

I remember I got chills when I saw this in theaters

Also a small thing that you didn’t mention, that really adds logistics to the end: the director purposefully includes a shot of the police excavation team turning off the stereo they were listening to. The stereo would have negated the team from hearing the whistle themselves.

Honestly don't know why this never got an Oscar. This is clearly one of the best films ever made in my lifetime. Certainly the best performance of HJ I've seen.

Denis Villeneuve is by far my favourite director, and clearly going to go down in history as one of the greatest directors of all time: not as the "next Spielberg" or the "next Kubrick" or the "next Coppola", but just as "Villeneuve".

You make some good points but I think you missed mentioning the most important symbolic gesture this technique makes. The movie has a lot of religious themes, the main one being that the kidnappers steal children in order to steal their parents' faith. By the end of the movie it seems, for the most part, that things have worked out for the best. The children are safe, but the main question is what has it cost Dover. Did the kidnapper succeed in robbing him of his faith, and of his goodness. In this last scene Dover is literally in the ground, signalling for help, but he is also figuratively underground in a spiritual sense. He is in hell, signalling for help and redemption. That last shot, focusing on Gyllenhall's face, transposes how we all react to people who have done wrong, and how hard it can be for us to hear/find them for who they are. Just a thought, and probably a pretty corny interpretation if I were to read it again, but I think it's something that should be mentioned.

Wonderful video about masterpiece of film that doesn't get enough credit.

I think that he is found, he keeps his leg, the gunshot wound is in the lower thigh and didn't hit his femoral artery, or else he would have died much sooner. He will spend some time behind bars, but not nearly as much as someone who committed the same crime out of malevolence. The judge and prosecutor would empathize with his situation, while also realizing he had to be punished, and he likely would have gotten something in the range of 3-7 years. I seriously doubt he would have lost his family. They would understand why he did it, and would stand by him. That's my logical conclusion.

There's also the symbolism of the whistle itself. It stands for facing up to the truth. To "blow the whistle" is to speak out against injustice, to call it out. In the story, as long as the truth wasn't faced up to, the characters were kept imprisoned in one way or another. Hugh Jackman's character in particular has to blow the whistle on his own self in order save his life. Although a God-fearing man, he's gone far from the right path, captive to his obsession. It's ruined his psyche, his emotions, his relationships - and his position in the darkness of the pit literalises his spiritual imprisonment.

Jake is crushing it as an actor, guys amazing, that night crawler film was class.

This movie was a pleasant surprise...Acting was great, and the story kept me invested until the last second

I still to this day don't know how Gyllenhaal and Jackman did not get nominated for an Oscar for their roles. Jake was also great in Nightcrawler but was also not nominated. Prisoners was an emotionally exhausting film but man it was so GOOD!

This movie was godcdamn brilliant. From Gyllenhaal blink twitching, showing the ripped apart family's from the kidnapping and how far desperation pushes the average person, just brilliant

I didn't think Jackman's character blowing the whistle signified resilience. I thought of it as him coming to terms with what he's done. I think it would be easy to fall apart after having done something like that to an innocent person, a victim even. To blow the whistle is to declare that he's still worth something, deserves to and wants to live.

MASTAHPEACE

Everything about this movie is great, the soundtrack, the cast, the writing, the pacing, the overall dreading vibe to it..we don't get movies like this anymore

In my head Dover got saved, family stays by him through trial, he doesn’t get off easy but he gets severely reduced sentence

Prisoners was a work of art

this movie shock me to the core, the way the characters develope and the pain they go through is uncanny. what they did to the mentally ill kid terrified the shit out of me.

I just randomly rewatched this movie after 6_7 years and it gave me a taste of how the movies were good back then, like damn it was good.

Wow after watchin Arrival and Enemy I realise how good director Denis is. His films are very mysterious and different from each othrr. Awesome director.

This film was a masterpiece! Pure Perfection! I love it!

Jake Gyllenhall should collab with Nolan and Scorsese

Great video man. Well thought out, analysed, paced, edited, narrated. Really good. Thanks for this man. This film for me is something that is becoming more and more rare; and you described it perfectly. Thank you.

I love this movie SO MUCH, but I've never heard anyone else talk about it!

Jake is such a great actor and one of the most underrated too. I personally think hes up there with Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Mathew McConaughey, Leonardo Dicaprio but to me it seems he isnt nearly as famous as them

Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst 👌

I don’t care what anyone says, this is the greatest film ever made.

This is my second favorite movie of all time. It’s just incredible.

I see some people write how Alex was innocent and Dover had done horrible crime. Alex was everything but innocent. He's the one who took the girls at the first place. He should tell the truth when police got him and set himself and the girls free (aunt had nothing to blackmail him) but no, he rather protect aunt even he knew aunt will kill them. He become sadistic prick (remember how he hang that dog). Yes he was victim in the past but that's not any excuse for his acts. Only thing I think Dover done wrong is the way he torture him since there's lot of ways to cause more pain with less scars on the body :)

Jake Gylennhall simply stole the show👌👌🤘🤘

What makes this one of my favorite movies is how strikingly realistic it is. The acting is so good you forget your watching a movie. When you consider the topic of this movie it is no wonder why this movie was not more popular ... it is so well done it is truly disturbing.

I think the best part about the ending for me is the fact that the whole time, Loki has been obsessed with tying up the loose ends of the case, but the movie ending early prevents the character from doing that, which kind of shows that it’ll never be over for him.

Hugh Jackman proves how such a great actor he is in this movie. But also Jake Gyllenhaal is amazing. Prisoners, Night Crawler, South Paw, Nocturnal Animals, Brokeback Mountain, Donnie Darko, End of Watch, Zodiac... he's brilliant in all of them.

Really good assessment of this work and the characters therein. Thanks. Best, Bob

His eye tics in this movie are one of my favorite subtle details an actor has done to change their character ever-so-slightly. Like yeah that’s Gyllenhaal with a neck tattoo and greasy haircut but the tic gave his character that extra bit of depth for whatever reason. Need more of those subtle mannerisms from actors.

....because its just *"PERFECT"*

I feel this analysis missed the most important part of the 30 seconds. It keeps the Jackman character in a symbolic state of purgatory. The question is raised if whether he will escape that spiritual hole which the entire ordeal of losing his children has brought upon his being.

The ending is stressful. I hope they find her dad too. Anyway it's a good movie, i just watched it

hugh deserved an oscar shout for this movie. His acting was absolutely impeccable...

I randomly saw this with some friends and it honestly blew us away at how good of a movie it is. Jake and Hugh are just fenomenal

There is also the obvious fact that Villeneuve never gives us that moment of catharsis in any scenes. For example he doesn't show us Loki deliver the kidnapped girl after the dramatic race to the hospital. This cutting away at the end would make no sense if it was the only time Villeneuve used it in the film. He sets it up throughout the movie. It is only good story telling because he gets us used to the idea as the story unfolds.

An incredibly gutsy way to end a film. Studio executives must have been having a stroke over this.

This movie was great. All performances were really good especially from Jake, Hugh, and Paul.

What a movie. And this imo is Jake's best role. He killed it in this movie. To me he made the movie. Wow.

Your video essay blew me away. I am impressed and grateful. I am literally clapping for you. Well done.

Jake was perfect in this! PERFECT!

From the acting to the narrative to the score, everything was masterful

Am I the only one who thought Keller would buy a snake to make Alex talk, after the scene where the aunt says he’s afraid of snakes

One of my favorite movies with many of my favorite actors. Gyllenhaal doesn't get nearly enough credit. The guy is a fucking incredible actor in anything he does. He learns as much as he can before any role and studies as much as he can. He's dedicated and that's rare these days.

Fantastic video essay, hope you do some more of Villenueve's films

Every once in a while a film appears that you can watch multiple times and it continues to be fresh, exciting and challenging. This film is one.

Saying the film “explodes” in the past 30 seconds is a hilarious overstatement.

I couldn’t speak after this film, I need time to process it, I thought everyone in it was flawless, not just the two leads.

In an interview with screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski it is explained that an ending where Keller is found by Loki was actually filmed, but was deliberately decided against in favour of a more ambiguous ending: On the decision to end the movie with a cliffhanger: “Oddly enough, that’s how it was in the script when it was bought. And it never really changed. When we were shooting, we did shoot a version where it goes a little beyond where the fade out is. There’s a version where he moves the car and sees Hugh down there, and so on. None of us really wanted to do that version, but we wanted to make sure we had it in case once the film was put together it seemed like it really needed it. But after testing the film with the ending it has now, everyone decided that was definitely the way to go. Joel Cox, the editor, felt very strongly about it. I just think that’s the moment when the movie is ready to end.” And the ending that was shot but didn’t get used was… “They move the car. They see he’s down there. You know he’s going to be taken out of the hole. I like it much better being ambiguous. Even though you assume that’s what’s probably going to happen, I like that there’s a small chance that he’s not going to get him out of there for whatever reason.”

Brilliant storytelling.. Riveted throughout - and haunted afterwards.... especially as a dad myself who would give his life to protect my child.

dennis villanueva does this almost in all his films which make them so intriguing and memorable. Look at blade runner 2049 ending. some similarities there. he knows how to mesh great stories with strong character development. its like he has the perfect formula for a perfect film.

Loki found him and save him. In his trial, the jury and the Judge will definitely have compassion for him and will gave him something like 2-3 years in jail (he will go out after half of that time). He will not lose his family for sure (you can tell that if you remember what his wife said to Loki in the hospital). No way story can be any different than this :D

I love when a title seemingly alludes to one thing, but by the end you realize it stands for a completely different idea or character(s).

Such a great synopsis to a fantastic film with a gripping ending. Great work!

He’d be perfect in a season of True Detective.

Well said man! Just finished this masterpiece

This movie always gets me. It’s so good across the board. I can actually imagine a future where Loki is at family cookouts. He saves him in the end. Can imagine the lifelong bond that would create?

Since dover was shot in the leg that means he found about the girls way before cops and was right from the start. Actually, he helped in finding his daughter because if he wouldnt have tortured alex the detective would have not returned to photo frame and connected the dots. Amazing movie time well spent.

God the ending though. So much tension left hanging, which I guess makes it good. But after 2 hours of tension it sucked to not see Loki find him.

This movie was so great. Not only the storyline but every single detail played a part to the story. By far, my all time favorite movie.

This movie is brilliant. Incredible acting and storytelling.

Great video man !

Awesome Video Essay!

Prisoners is one of the few perfect films in existence.

Top 1 for Netflix now ! I cried watching this ! May all the children’s that have been taken for no reasons be in peace 😭😭 No child deserves this ! God we need you ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Wow, Fantastic video Perry. I have to admit, this is without a doubt, my all time favorite movie! :) I think part of it does have to do with the ending:) what happens? Does he go to jail? I would have loved to see him hug his little daughter at the end. He was her true hero. I can't watch other movies anymore because they are just not up to par with this amazing story telling and suspense driven passion behind the film. Keep it up. Thank you so much for explaining how amazing the last 30 seconds are.

Great video dude

Loki’s wardrobe works like a wheel. Perfect

Thank you! This is one of the best videoessays I have ever seen. It has already inspired me in my preproduction work of a short film. Keep up the excellent work! :D

I feel that there is a major theme of being “saved” through the film. Who is the saviour, and who needs to be saved. Gyllenhaal saving his career/reputation as well as the girls. Jackman obviously saving his daughter but also saving his sanity and needing to be saved from himself. I feel the whistle placed Jackman back into the needing saving category, and the ending leaving us with the question of just whether or not Jackman was too far gone to be saved or not. Excellent film.

Excellent film.

Great video. The movie was phenomenal and the ending was perfect. It delivered on the “happy“ ending while still maintaining the expected gripping/tense theme constantly delivered though the movie.

I got chills listening to your breakdown. I already instinctually knew all of it, but the nuance 🤌🏻

Though Jake Gyllenhaal deserves immense praise for his acting abilities, I believe even Paul Dano deserves recognition for his performances over the past few years.

If you guys looking for similar movies like this. With a strong character and mystery. Try this: Memento Shutter Island Prestige Lie to me Oldboy (korean) Zodiac The silence of the lamb Good epic movies, you the mystery thriller addict should be like those list! Try me