Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2014

When two six-year-old girls are abducted in broad daylight on Thanksgiving Day and the police release the obvious suspect after 48 hours for lack of forensic evidence, the hothead father of one (Hugh Jackman) kidnaps the guy and tries to torture the girls’ whereabouts out of him. Meanwhile, the police detective who caught the case (Jake Gyllenhaal) methodically tries to disentangle a web of vague clues, alternate suspects and false leads. Jackman and Gyllenhaal do some of their best work here, and are joined by a remarkable cast that includes Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo, Maria Bello and Paul Dano. This is a prestige whodunit for grownups. It’s compelling, exhilarating, worrisome and scary, with a complex moral core. This one will stay with you. The subject matter makes it not always easy to watch. Think Mystic River or Seven. It’s smartly written (by Aaron Guzikowski) brilliantly directed (by Quebecois Denis Villeneuve, working in English for the first time) and flawlessly photographed by the incomparable Roger Deakins. It creeps you out without manipulation or cheap shocks, and keeps the tension constant (and you guessing) throughout its entire 2:35 running time. (155 min)