Jake Gyllenhaal – Prisoners
When Prisoners was first unleashed at the Toronto Film Festival in September, the major buzz was surrounding Jake Gyllenhaal and the big possibility of him procuring a nomination for his career best work as the driven Detective Loki. However, as the season has continued and as we see more great performances, the buzz has fallen by the wayside and the chance of him receiving a nomination is very slim indeed.
That being said, Gyllenhaal’s construction of the character is second to none. Detective Loki is the only character in the film who is reticent to unleash his emotions, yet it feels that he is the one with the most history. It is a prime example of how an actor is able to take a role and expand it beyond what is on the page, but never outright show it, instead letting it quietly inform the motivations and the actions of the character.
The obsessive blinking, the tattoos and the dedication to the finding of these children all let us know something about Detective Loki, but it is left up to the viewer to decide what they ultimately make of him.