The trailer for 'Prisoners' puts Hugh Jackman on a very slippery moral slope when he's faced with the fact that the police have no evidence against the man who may have kidnapped his daughter. The film, which also stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, and Viola Davis, looks intense and is likely an Oscar hopeful.

The trailer sets up the main drama, in that two families find that their daughters have been kidnapped by someone in a camper. Gyllenhaal's detective is assigned the case, but he can find no evidence against the one suspect he grabs (Dano), even though the guy looks super creepy. The focus of the film seems to hinge on how far Jackman and company are willing to bend or break the law to find their daughters.

The film was directed by Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, whose 'Incendies' was nominated for best foreign film, which sets up Oscar potential. And with the recent high-profile resolution to the Ohio kidnapping of three girls, the film feels topical in a way that cuts. If it works, it could be one of the films of the year.  'Prisoners' is scheduled to open September 20. Here's the film's synopsis:

Keller Dover is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His 6-year-old daughter and her young friend are missing, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki arrests its driver, but a lack of evidence forces the only suspect’s release. Knowing his child’s life is at stake, the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. The desperate father will do whatever it takes to find the girls, but in doing so, may lose himself, begging the question: When do you cross the line between seeking justice and becoming a vigilante?

And here's the film's poster:

Prisoners Poster
Warner Brothers
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