Prisoner’s Daughter: Review

30th June 2023

Maxine (Kate Beckinsale) has the sole responsibility of looking after her son, Ezra (Christopher Convery) something which gets more difficult as he’s getting bullied because of his epilepsy. Also, her ex, Tyler (Tyson Ritter) still hangs around and his abusive nature and drug addiction makes him difficult to be around. Her father, Max (Brian Cox) is serving time in prison too, estranged from each other for so long, Maxine doesn’t even know him anymore.

Then one day Max is told that he has cancer and despite his crimes is granted compassionate leave. The first person he thinks of his daughter, so he calls her but Maxine isn’t all that interested in making amends. However, eventually she reluctantly agrees and Max moves in. Getting to know each other again is difficult, but Maxine soon finds some good left in her father and his bond with Ezra starts to grow.

However, once Max gets in touch with an old friend named Hank (Ernie Hudson), it seems that old habits may die hard.

Prisoner’s Daughter is a family drama directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Mark Bacci. A slice of life drama that although feels somewhat cliched is elevated by its experienced cast.

A story where a family are reluctantly brought back together to settle their differences is nothing new. Even the idea of a single mother struggling to cope whilst being tormented by an aggressive ex is nothing audiences haven’t seen before. However, with the pull of Cox and Beckinsale as father and daughter, the audience are sure to be met with good performances.

It’s a pleasure to say then that neither actor phones in their performance as could be expected with something which doesn’t exactly stray too far from formulaic. Even Convery’s performance brings enough charm and likeability to a character whose arc is predictable enough.

The ending is something that may touch audiences, whilst others may see how it pulls at their heartstrings. There also really isn’t enough about the realities of somebody living with epilepsy unless the plot requires it. However, Prisoner’s Daughter may interest an audience who wants to see a good cast in something unexpected.

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