As a fan of realistic thrillers, those movies that turn something you think could never possibly happen to you into your newest fear, I was looking to fill the void that “Taken 2” left in my movie collection when it turned out to be a total flop. I had been craving such a movie to keep me on the edge of my seat with both fear and curiosity. “Prisoners,” which follows two families as they learn their daughters have been kidnapped, did exactly that.

After the two girls take a walk by themselves on Thanksgiving and never come back, their fathers, played by Hugh Jackman and Terrence Howard, have their worlds turned upside down. The film successfully conveys real and raw emotion that connects the audience with the tragedy. It also puts a new spin on the average kidnapping movie as it shows just how far a parent would go to protect their child

Jackman and Howard’s characters have different ways of dealing with the tragedy. The question addressing how far these parents would take their search goes beyond just going after the bad guy. What if you only had a hunch that someone had kidnapped your daughters but didn’t have any real proof? When Jackman’s strong, manly character reveals his plan to take the man he believes has taken his daughters and beat the truth out of him, the moral dilemma these characters face adds an extra element to the case.

As the typical emotionally unavailable character with a rough past, FBI Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) struggles to find the girls. The shady but emotionally damaged suspect (Paul Dano) is taken by Jackman’s character and beaten so badly the image of his swollen face elicited gasps from the audience.

Gyllenhaal plays his role to perfection, carrying a mild twitch throughout the movie. Though I knew  little about the character, I felt like I did because of the his presence. Quiet but ruthless in his business, the character is relatable even with his detached personality.

Though the film did a good job of putting me on edge, I was at times too on edge. Purposeful as it was, there was no relief from the constant tension. I was hooked until the end, but it was a long time to be hooked, as the movie was two and a halfhours long.

Overall, “Prisoners” definitely had the desired effect. It had me gripping my arm rests and wishing I could just know what happened to the poor little girls already, but satisfied me with an unexpected, but should-have-known, obvious kind of ending.

Karly Horn is an A&E Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.