“Prisoners,” a newly released action thriller, walks a tight line between fear and hopelessness to evoke strong emotion.

To many, family is what means the most to them, let alone their own children. now imagine losing them, left helplessly searching for them, how would you feel? Welcome to “Prisoners.”

It seems that with the topic of losing their children, most parents immediately grow tense and fearful. Now this isn’t the first movie about children being abducted, but it sure ranks among the best to date. With lead actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman, it was guaranteed to be a suspenseful thriller.

Thanksgiving, a time to reconvene with family and loved ones, is brought to an abrupt halt for the Dovers and Birches. In what seems a simple and harmless decision to let their two girls go out to play soon escalates from a joyful gathering to utter panic and dismay when the two families are left with little answers to where their girls disappeared to.

Immediately Jackman, who plays Keller Dover, a man who lives by the motto “Pray for the best and prepare for the worst,” succumbs to instinctual sense to blindly search for his daughter no matter the looming consequences of what his actions may have been.

Gyllenhaal plays the role of decorated Det. Lokey, and has a much more reserved role. He has solved every case assigned to him. Clues are few and hard to come by throughout the film, only sugar-coating the suspenseful finish.

Lokey immediately finds his main suspect, but lack of evidence results in his release after only 48 hours. Dover, overcome with emotion, absolutely enraged at the seemingly obvious abductor. He takes a separate route from Lokey in finding his daughter, although both aware of the ever ticking time clock to find the juvenile girls.

Whilst the mothers of both girls drown in their sorrowful tears, Lokey and Dover take distinctly separate routes to finding the girls, one to prevail, another to fail.

“Prisoners” provides no shortage of suspense the whole way through, from false leads to scornful parents, this movie is a must see.

Do take into account that this movie is rated R. Even if accompanied by an adult can still be a scare for those faint at heart, or for that matter anyone.