In a month filled with blockbuster releases, Prisoner’s Daughterquietly sneaks into theaters as a small-scale drama about second chances and toxic patterns. It’s an admirable goal, and with Brian Cox and Kate Beckinsale in lead roles, the movie had everything to deliver an emotional exploration of the hardships of everyday life. Unfortunately, Catherine Hardwicke’s latest movie is a misfire, pulled down by a script that’s stiff, contradictory, and ultimately boring.
In Prisoner’s Daughter, Cox plays Max, a former mob enforcer who spent the last twelve years in prison. While Max made a lot of money through violence, he’s respected by the warden who praises the inmate’s commitment to guiding his peers on sobriety programs. That’s why, after Max is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he’s offered the chance to spend his last few months on house arrest instead of rotting in a cell. The problem is that Max's only family is his daughter, Maxine (Beckinsale), to whom he’s not spoken since he was arrested. To complicate matters, Maxine is currently caring for an epileptic son, Ezra (Christopher Convery), dealing with her drug-addicted ex-husband (Tyson Ritter), and the fear of eviction due to her struggles to pay her mortgage. Even so, Maxine eventually agrees to take her father in, kicking off a family drama that can’t do justice to its intriguing concept.
'Prisoner's Daughter' Is Besought by Muddled Messages and Conflicting Themes
As expected, Max’s journey outside prison includes confronting his past crimes and making up for lost time. At the same time, Maxine is invited to forgive her father and realize how she also made bad choices that are now returning to haunt her. There are many ways to tackle this story such as turning it into a tale of redemption or using the complicated relationship between Max and Maxine to capture how people can become trapped in cycles of violence. Unfortunately, Mark Bacci’s script doesn’t have a clear path. Instead, the story constantly contradicts itself by trying to sustain opposite moral messages and falling to the weight of its ambition.
At every turn of the story, we can feel Prisoner’s Daughter is trying to be clever and sensitive. However, the lack of consistency between scenes results in a movie that tries to preach non-violence while simultaneously showing how violence solves complex issues. Likewise, while individual moments underline how second chances can lead to meaningful human relationships, Prisoner’s Daughter shows how people can’t change and are doomed to repeat their mistakes. Even as it uncovers the immense challenges those in poverty face regarding work stability and access to the U.S. health system, every major problem the protagonists face is quickly solved in the most cliché way imaginable.
In short, it seems like the story for Prisoner’s Daughter was born from a compelling idea that Bacci couldn’t develop without making each new scene more bland and predictable than the last one, hoping that the inherent melodrama of the premise would be sufficient to elevate a mediocre script. And when the material is as weak as it is in Prisoner’s Daughter, not even solid performances can save it.
Cox and Beckinsale Get Lost in 'Prisoner’s Daughter'
Without question, the cast is the highlight of the film as Cox and Beckinsale approach their respective parts with sincerity and commitment. Unfortunately, the absence of nuance in the script disrupts the duo’s repeated attempts to give more layers to their characters. On top of that, the dialogue of the Prisoner’s Daughter too often leans into ready-made lines that drain any human warmth that Cox or Beckinsale tries to give Max and Maxine.
It’s also important to underline how Convery is wasted in Prisoner’s Daughter. In a movie filled with one-dimensional characters, Ezra’s flatness makes the young actor stick out like a sore thumb in an already mediocre story. To add insult to injury, Convery is also forced to constantly give one-liners that were supposed to be funny but are uncreative at best. These faulty attempts at humor don’t fit the movie's tone and drag the whole experience down. Furthermore, they only harm Convery’s character, reducing him to a paper-thin caricature of a teenager.
While fans of Cox and Beckinsale‘s work might still enjoy some moments of Prisoner’s Daughter, the overall lack of polish in the script makes for a dull experience that’s filled with inconsistencies. Sadly, when a family drama can only be as strong as its story, the lack of focus in the Prisoner’s Daughter completely sabotages its cast.
Rating: C-
Prisoner's Daughter comes to theaters on June 30.
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