There’s a dank, grey pall over the entire film, perpetuated by the measured rhythm of Villeneuve’s direction and the stark economy of Roger Deakins’ beautiful cinematography. The despairing tone’s not unlike the bleaker moments of Silence Of The Lambs, or Channel 4’s stunning Red Riding trilogy, with a slow drip-feed of clues and steadily rising tension – time is running out, and a happy conclusion is by no means a certainty.

It’s a traditional, knotty thriller in many ways, but there’s a sensitivity and artistry on display in Prisoners that makes it more than just a whodunnit – like George Sluizer’s Dutch film, The Vanishing (1988), there’s a macabre, even philosophical mind at work behind the scenes – the nameless Pennsylvania setting becomes a web of secrets and tragedy, and as Detective Loki burrows into its secrets, his discoveries become ever more chilling.

Some critics took issue with Prisoners‘ scenes of torture, arguing that the film could be seen to be condoning them in some way – or that it implies that torture is a legitimate means of extracting information. Yet even a cursory glance at the characters’ growing sense of remorse and exhaustion surely provides its own evidence: guilt brings its own punishment, and living with the consequences of a crime can sometimes be as terrible as the deed itself.

The surety of Prisoners‘ filmmaking is matched by its performances. Jackman puts aside his easy-going movie star persona and digs deep in one of his most riveting roles to date – there’s a desperation in his eyes, and a sense that the disappearance of his daughter has unlocked something dangerous inside him. Viola Davis, Maria Bello and Terrence Howard are low-key and effective in their supporting roles as the other shell-shocked parents, and Aaron Guzikowski’s script is careful to illustrate how each deals with their trauma in their own individual ways.

Then we come to Jake Gyllenhaal, whose performance may be the lynchpin in the film’s success. It’s another hypnotic, magnificent performance, where vital clues to his character’s inner turmoil are illustrated by brief visual clues or a casual line of dialogue rather than in thuddingly obvious plot points. His tattoos and prominent facial tic point to a difficult, perhaps troubled past. He clearly cares deeply about his line of work, yet appears to struggle with expressing empathy towards the victims’ families. His frustration at being unable to solve the case is expressed through his growing obsession and violent outbursts.