I saw Prisoners this afternoon and I’d like to review it here. But I can’t. To do so would be a disservice since it would require plot spoilers in order to explain what I’d be talking about.

I can list the cast, which will tell you about the quality of the acting. We have Hugh Jackman as the father; Jake Gyllenhaal as the detective, Viola Davis and Maria Bello as the mothers, with Terence Howard as the other father. Paul Dano and Melissa Leo round out the principals. Director Denis Villeneuve sets the tone with his darkling winter—cold rain mixed with snow. The theater was a comfortable 68°, but my mind said it was miserably cold and wet.

This movie is about prisoners: both real and figurative. It is a dark movie involving child kidnapping, rescue efforts and hidden pasts. It exploits a parent’s fear for the loss of one’s child. It first explores the rage which would naturally follow the kidnapping. Then explores that rage as it overcomes rationality. At the end…well, I’ll just say there’s more than one twist.

This movie is a very good, tense and absorbing mystery. The acting, as I’ve suggested, is extremely good. It is R rated for good reason—but not for sexuality or nudity which aren’t there. It’s 2½ hours long, but its intensity will ensnare you and you won’t even notice.