Year of Release: 2021
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Dano, Christina Vidal, Adrian Martinez, Christiana Montoya, David Castaneda, Eli Goree, Becky Wu
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
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Synopsis and Review:
Prolific director Antoine Fuqua has reunited with Jake Gyllenhaal once more, after their well received "Southpaw", which came out in 2015. This time around, "The Guilty" is a remake of the Danish film with the title "Den Skyldige", from director Gustav Moller. The film follows the story of Joe Baylor, a police officer from the LAPD, who is currently under investigation, but also working a night shift at a 911 call center, at least until his investigation clears off. During his shift, he answers a call from a distressed woman by the name of Emily. She reveals that she has been abducted, and informs him that she is being taken in a white van. Joe provides the information to the California Highway Patrol, but they can't do much without a license plate number. Joe in the meantime calls Emily's home phone, and chats with her six year old daughter Abby. She tells him that her mom left the house with her dad Henry, and that she's by herself with her baby brother Oliver. As Joe tries to help Abby and also Emily, he reaches out to his friends on the force, only to realize that not all is what it seems.
"The Guilty" was shot in 11 days, which speaks for the tightness of the narrative and the fact that it is all centered around Jake Gyllenhaal's character, in a single location. The film which takes place around the call center, and is always focused on Joe Baylor's interactions on the phone with all sorts of characters, definitely brings to mind similar exercises of the genre, such as Oliver Stone's "Talk Radio", or even Steven Knight's "Locke". However, and unlike the examples mentioned, Antoine Fuqua never truly manages to bring the plight and sense of urgency of the narrative to life (for the most part, the film is fairly illustrative and generic, lacking some distinct stylistic perspective). By the time we meet Joe Baylor, he already seems high strung, edgy and ready to snap, yet very little is ever provided in terms of who he is, or what has prompted his situation. Even as the narrative unfolds and the progressive disclosure occurs, Baylor is still very much a stereotypical character, without much dimension to himself. Jake Gyllenhaal who is always a solid and charismatic performer, has slowly transitioned to these roles, where he's somewhat of a damaged individual, seeking redemption, or completely amoral, trying to vanquish all in a deranged world. He was far more interesting and compelling in both Dan Gilroy's "Velvet Buzzsaw" and "Nightcrawler" than he is here. For all his good intentions, and for the range of emotions he puts on display, this films feels surprisingly shallow, in the sense that is never truly a B-movie with an edgy concept, nor a psychological study into a character who is seemingly falling to pieces. It's watchable, but mostly forgettable.
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