Prisoners (2013)

Prisoners is not as good as I had hoped. It tries valiantly to be a clever puzzle but it's all too predictable. I see what they were trying to do but unfortunately Ben Affleck didn't direct this and it turns out too light.

The main focus is on Hugh Jackman's character, Keller Dover, as he desperately looks for his missing daughter, Anna, and her friend, Joy. The heavy focus on one girl is odd. There isn't enough screen time for Joy and her family; they're an afterthought, which is another disappointment because they had the powerful acting skills of Viola Davis as Joy's mom.

The first half of the movie is much faster than the second half. It's a noticeable drop off that would be forgivable if the storyline got stronger, but it runs out of steam quickly. I especially despise what they did with Maria Bello's character, Grace Dover, Anna's mom. Her very fast and over-dramatic decline is mostly unnecessary.

With the exception of Hugh Jackman, Viola Davis, and Paul Dano as Alex Jones, the acting leans weak. Jake Gyllenhall as Detective Loki, aka seemingly the only detective in town, doesn't do a bad job but just isn't good for this role.

Overall, I still wish for so much more from this movie. I do not recommend it.

Prisoners trailer:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392214/

The Raven (2012)

The Raven is a dark twisted story, inspired by the obvious; Edgar Allan Poe and his writings. It's better than I expected; although, that's not saying too much because I didn't even want to watch this movie. It is also gorier and funnier than I expected. That's already an interesting combination, but then add suspense and a little bit of love and sadness. It's a strange cocktail of a story.

John Cusack, as Poe, is not very good. Alice Eve as Emily Hamilton, Poe's love interest, is even more painful. Their chemistry is lackluster. They both try too hard to encompass the dialect and inflection of the era. A lot of the specifics of what they say is lost, but you get the gist of it, so it's not unbearable. Cusack's performance warms up about 25 minutes in. It's still not good, but you get comfortable and attached with his character. The movie gets better around this time mainly because Cusack's and Eve's screen time together is reduced.

Luke Evans as Detective Fields is so good and has such a powerful presence, at times he feels like the lead. It would've been a much better movie had they shifted it that way.

The clues at each crime scene play out like a 19th century CSI. It's fun to follow along, even though it's simple and predictable.

On a scale of 1-10, I give The Raven: 7.0

Scene Spotlight: None.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1486192/