Yeah, it was pretty bad. Terribly hamfisted, zero subtlety and having Gyllenhaal blinking like an asshole as much as he was ended up being equal parts obnoxious and irritating.
Hamfisted = awkward, clumsy.
Yet, you say, Prisoners lacks subtlety, suggesting that its themes are obvious; suffering from an on-the-nose presentation.
Is that what you really think about a movie showing two different mens' approaches to finding a missing girl -- on a detective and the other the girl's father -- the compromises to one's philosophies that one of them chooses to make in order to find her (while the other is trapped within the system/handcuffed), and the consequences of those choices (and limitations -- in the case of Gyllenhaal's character) on their psyches? A movie that half the audience will think lauds the use of torture while the other half will think clearly shows that torture, no matter what the circumstance or stakes, is ultimately ruinous for everyone involved, even for the ones perpetuating it as well as those permitting it?
You can not enjoy a movie -- and I can see why something with the aesthetics of The Killing, the violence and imagery of Seven, and an idiosyncratic performance by a lead could turn people off -- but Prisoners was undeniably entertaining (i.e. never boring) and a well-crafted thematic vehicle.
I will say that Villeneuve loves to keep us at a frustrating distance from the underlying mystery, and this movie, more so than even Enemy, made me feel like I was in the dark far longer than I'm accustomed to. More popular movies tend to make the objectives and stakes MORE clear so that the audience can at least feel like they can be a half-step ahead, and anticipate certain actions (secretly hoping that our expectations are subverted). In this movie, like in Zodiac for example, we're put squarely in the points-of-view of protagonists with cripplingly limited vision and access to truth, and we have to trust the director to lead us through the paths that make the most sense.. so I can see that if the character decisions and behaviors don't at least partially reflect your own process that it can be infuriating -- taking you out of the movie and criticizing the characters for acting illogically.
I won't say that Prisoners is my favorite of Villeneuve's works -- its not as soul-crushing as Arrival, blood-pumping as Sicario, or mind-bending as Enemy -- but I can respect it.
