The Missing
Movie Review: The Missing
MPAA Rating: R
Stars (Out of 10): 7
One Word Summary: Gritty
The Missing Review:
Whoever cut together the trailer for The Missing has done the film a great disservice. Giving it the appearance of a supernatural western thriller pitting Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett against some sort of faceless evil threat comes nowhere close to providing a realistic feeling for what this film is about. As a non-fan of horror type films, I almost passed on The Missing until another review clued me in to the fact that it is a dramatic western and a pretty darn good one at that.
Cate Blanchett is Maggie Gilkeson, rancher and healer, raising two daughters in 1885 New Mexico. When her oldest daughter Lilly (Evan Rachel Wood) is kidnapped by a murderous Indian witch, Maggie must enlist the help of the father who abandoned her, and has recently returned to make amends, to track the kidnappers down and get her daughter back.
Based on the novel The Last Ride by Thomas Eidson, and with more than a casual nod to John Ford's The Searchers, The Missing is a pretty straightforward Western complete with an ineffective town sheriff, marauding Indians, the cavalry, and a final showdown high up in the shielding rocks of a cliff.
Blanchett might be the last actress you think of when casting the part of a Dr Quinn-type frontier woman. But, her delicate exterior serves as a striking balance to the calloused heart that dwells within. Maggie is a damaged woman, filled with bitterness and anger for the wrongs perpetrated by both her own father and the man who fathered her eldest daughter. Blanchett does an excellent job weighing her feelings toward Sam against her love for her daughter. The transition Maggie makes toward forgiving her father near the end is believable and satisfying.
Tommy Lee Jones is also outstanding as the prodigal father, Sam. Sam has returned home on the advice of an Indian healer who prescribed making amends with his family as a cure for snakebite. He understands the hurt he has caused and wants to make it right. Jones is perfectly cast as he has the look of someone who has spent several years living with Indians and possesses the range to move from reserved stoicism to emotionally wrought. Jones' Sam is the quintessential western hero, quietly confident and selflessly heroic and he plays it to near perfection.
Nice supporting performances from Wood and Jenna Boyd as the daughters and a neat little cameo from Val Kilmer round out the cast. Not to mention Eric Schweig as the scary brujo' who looks like the love child of The Crow and Freddy Krueger.
The film is presented in a 2-disc DVD package in 2.35:1 Widescreen anamorphic. The bonus disc is loaded with extras that include: 3 alternate endings that only vary in the amount of editing that was done, a dozen or so deleted scenes, outtakes, a photo gallery, and several featurettes detailing the casting, location scouting, background history on the novel, creation of the musical score, and how Jones and others learned to speak Indian. Also included are two somewhat self-serving featurettes on Ron Howard: 'Ron Howard On' has the director briefly expounding on a variety of topics and 'Ron Howard Shorts' features 3 of his early works as a filmmaker.
The Bottom Line: With its stellar direction, standout cast, strong story, and a saddlebag full of extras, The Missing is a film that should be found in the DVD collection of any serious Western fan.
