By Charly SHELTON

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare – your child goes missing. But the real question doesn’t lie in how you will handle it. The question is how far would you go to bring your child home.

Hugh Jackman stars as a Keller Dover, a father coping with the disappearance of his daughter. Dover’s daughter, Anna, was taken with her friend when they went on a walk alone on Thanksgiving Day. The police are at a loss; they have a primary suspect but not enough evidence to prove his involvement or enough information to find the kidnapped girls. Terrence Howard plays the father of the other little girl who was taken, and the tension is evident as to how differently the parents handle the situation. One is called into action while the other freezes. I know this is vague, but to prevent giving away key plot points I must be. The story that unfolds is a chronicle of their descent into a type of madness as the families try to make sense of the tragedy and try to bring their daughters home safely.

This is one of those movies that could be ruined by too much talk. Each detail plays into the larger picture in mysteries like this, and as soon as it is released, people start to talk. If you want to see this movie, don’t listen to them. This is one of those films that will impact you on a personal level, be it as a parent, a sibling, a child or even just as a human. If you are going to see it, my only caution is to be prepared. It is rated R for a good reason. Not for blood or sex, but for the intensity of what goes on, what people can do to others, the savagery of man. It shakes you to the core. And with a cast that includes Paul Dano, Melissa Leo, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Len Cariou and Maria Bello, the drama is high and emotional.

This is not a movie to miss. I can’t remember the last time a movie surprised me on this level. It wasn’t shocking, just hard to piece together. I didn’t understand it until it was revealed on screen. What a twist!

Rated R for a good reason. This film is surely going to be one of the first real Oscar contenders of the year, for acting at the very least.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars.

  Charly Shelton