The Prisoner (2009– )

An update to the cult favorite series from the 1960s about a government agent who is kidnapped and sent to a remote island known as "the Village".

Stars:

Ian McKellen, Jim Caviezel, Ruth Wilson

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 5 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ian McKellen	...	2 (6 episodes, 2009)
Jim Caviezel	...	6 (6 episodes, 2009)
Ruth Wilson	...	313 (6 episodes, 2009)
Lennie James	...	147 (6 episodes, 2009)
Rachael Blake	...	M2 (6 episodes, 2009)
Jamie Campbell Bower	...	11-12 (6 episodes, 2009)
Hayley Atwell	...	Lucy (5 episodes, 2009)
Renate Stuurman	...	21-16 (3 episodes, 2009)
Sara Stewart	...	1891 (2 episodes, 2009)
Hanlé Barnard	...	23-90 (2 episodes, 2009)
David Butler	...	Shopkeeper (2 episodes, 2009)
Leila Henriques	...	Curtis' PA (2 episodes, 2009)
Isabella Calthorpe	...	765 - Wonkers (2 episodes, 2009)
Wolfgang Weissenstein	...	Butler (2 episodes, 2009)
Savannah Charon Esau	...	832 (2 episodes, 2009)
Will Kemp	...	23-30 - Wonkers (2 episodes, 2009)

Storyline

A New Yorker awakens to find himself in a place called The Village run by a man known as Two. As everyone in The Village is referred to only by a number, everyone in The Village refers to him as Six - despite he himself knowing that he has another name - and seems to know who he is. He is told he lives in The Village and that The Village is the only reality there is. Six's mission becomes to find out where The Village is, who Two is and why he is seemingly keeping him prisoner in The Village (despite Two stating that Six is a free man), and how he can escape to his life back in New York. Six has to learn who among the Villagers he can trust - who include a doctor named 313, a cab driver named 147, and Two's own son named 11-12 - in his quest to escape from The Village. Six also has recurring memories of his life in New York, including an encounter with a woman named Lucy, which may be part of the key to discovering why he's in The Village.

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Plot Keywords:

village | new york | number | old man | isolated town | 

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Taglines:

Resist

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

AMC

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Prisoner - Der Gefangene

Filming Locations:

Alfred Mall, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada International, ITV Productions, Out of Africa Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

360 min 360 min (6 episodes) 90 min (PAL DVD)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Be seeing you" is a commonly heard phrase in The Prisoner (1967), The Prisoner (2009), and was also one of Patrick McGoohan's catchphrases in Danger Man and Secret Agent . McGoohan's character "Johnny Cousin" (a pot smoking drummer) in All Night Long uses the phrase also when he says goodbye to the road manager "Berger" towards the end of the movie.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #26.133 (2010)

User Reviews

Is there ANYONE who can actually spell out the story line?

OK, I get the concept that the AMC production is in no way a sequel-type update to the 60's TV show. No argument there.

But--and I am sincere--can anyone actually provide me (and probably MANY others) with a detailed story line? A CLEAR plot summary? The writers/producers obviously wanted to keep viewers guessing and engaged, but there was never enough detail to determine which were flashbacks and which were...something else. And the last chapter was way too obtuse. It's fine that parts of the series wanted to comment on grand themes and deep societal concepts like the original did, in a modern way, but a more sharply-defined story line could easily do that, and probably hold everyone's attention longer. (Note: I can't buy into any explanation that says "It was all an allegory...it's whatever you think it means." There was enough of that already built-in to each episode.)

The pacing was awfully slow. The whole story could have been told well in 4 hours instead of 6. I found myself starting to want more unexplained holes in the sand and explosions just to pick up the action a bit.

You don't suppose that this was all an evil trick, the creation of a wicked team, to get us to watch all the episodes and then realize that WE were the prisoners for six hours?