Prisoners: thriller that goes beyond (but not much) the usual when telling the story, and while the plot falls in some of the same pits, the characters raise this film above the genre’s average. It’s, however, almost an unpleasant experience, full of dread. The cast is very good, both on paper and on the screen. (Not that Maria Bello and Viola Davis have all that much to do, or Terrence Howard, for that matter.) Visually, it’s beautifully functional; unsurprising since Roger Deakins lensed it.