#14) Prisoners
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Hugh Jackman; Jake Gyllenhaal; Paul Dano; Terrence Howard; Viola Davis
I've seen a few members of the forum say that they prefer the similarly themed
Big Bad Wolves of the same year, which surprises me, since I personally found
Big Bad Wolves a bit cartoonish in its execution and lacking the moral ambiguity and suspense that made
Prisoners the best thriller of 2013. Unless Sexy Celebrity and I adopt at some point in the future, I doubt I'll ever have kids, so I can't even imagine the level of panic and fear that a parent must experience when a child is abducted. However, thanks to Hugh Jackman's career best performance, I now know what such a feeling
looks like. If the Best Actor pool hadn't been so stacked with talent, I'd say Jackman deserved a nomination for exposing himself to such a dark frame of mind, since he perfectly embodies the anguish, fear, frustration and desperation of his character. Paul Dano is turning into one of my favorite character actors; his role in
Prisoners does nothing to change that. Gyllenhaal imbues his intense performance with just a hint of mischief, which adds yet another piece to the puzzle, since at times I questioned if he had something to do with the disappearances. (The fact that he's named Loki almost serves as a red herring.)
I don't think
Prisoners is perfect. I agree that it's too long, and I think it stumbles toward the finish line; but it's also an incredibly suspenseful, dark, disturbing, thought-provoking thriller with gorgeous cinematography and a host of strong performances from a great cast. If I didn't know better, I'd think Fincher directed this film, which is a huge compliment. What made
Prisoners so effective for me personally is how well it played with my ethics and made me question what was right and what was wrong. When it seemed that Dano's character was guilty, I justified Jackman's barbaric method of interrogation. Despite cringing at the torture, I felt that Jackman's character should do whatever it took to find his daughter before it was too late. Then a later development would reveal that Dano's character might be innocent, which would cause me to feel an immense sense of self-guilt and disgust at how I had encouraged such actions. In my opinion, that's the sign of a successful film: forcing viewers to feel uncomfortable, to feel incriminated, to put themselves in the same situation and ask: how far would I go?
#13) American Hustle
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Christian Bale; Amy Adams; Bradley Cooper; Jennifer Lawrence; Jeremy Renner
I caught
American Hustle in the theater on opening day. At the time it was considered the frontrunner for Best Picture. Given the hype and the phenomenal cast, my expectations were huge. I'm not going to say that I disliked it, but I was very disappointed and underwhelmed. I walked out of the theater thinking that it was the most overrated movie I had seen in years. Thank God for second chances. I rented
American Hustle a few months later and re-watched it with family, even telling them beforehand to temper their expectations. Perhaps it was the fact that my own expectations were no longer shackled to the film, or that I already knew how the complicated plot played out, allowing me to focus all my attention on the characters and all their little idiosyncrasies, but my opinion did a complete 180.
In place of the muddled, sprawling, slightly dull mess of a film I had initially experienced, I found one of the most vibrant, playful, funny, entertaining films of the year. The soundtrack is excellent. The performances are excellent. The writing is excellent. Watching a hefty Christian Bale perfect his elaborate comb-over, or Jennifer Lawrence drunkenly strut and sing along to "Live and Let Die," or Bradley Cooper's hilarious interruptions of Louie C.K.'s ice-fishing story, is an absolute blast. Adams and Lawrence are two of my favorite modern actresses. Both are superb in the film -- not to mention sexy as hell in their revealing outfits. The hairstyles and wardrobe choices are simultaneously awesome and comical. The cast displays impeccable chemistry. I still think the film gets off to an unnecessarily slow start, due to the voice-overs and the backtracking for each character, but once the movie gets out of its own way and the actors' showcase begins,
American Hustle transforms into an exhilarating ride that it is almost Scorsese-like in execution.