The Missing
reviewed by Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell & Brian "The Naked Gun" Felts
Director Ron Howard left much of the picture's style to his cinematographer for his latest
movie project, following the release of his Academy Award® winning "A Beautiful Mind." However,
"The Missing" is far from that kind of comparison, and I suspect it will be far from the
Academy Awards® stage come March (2004).
I enjoyed Tommy Lee Jones' (The Fugitive) performance as an aged white man who left his family years ago and
turned to the Native American culture for comfort. However, at times he simply looked silly.
I was also impressed with Cate Blanchet's (Elizabeth) performance as Jones' daughter who enlists his knowledge
of the Apache tribes after her teenage daughter is kidnapped. I've never heard Blanchet with
such an "alto" voice before. It was refreshing.
Tipping the performance scale, however, was youngster Jenna Boyd (Dicke Roberts: Former Child Star)
as Blanchet's youngest daughter
who played a frontier child very believably and at times almost frighteningly. I look forward to
seeing what this youngster starts to turn out after she hits 30 years old.
Writer Ken Kaufman's strength was in his character's back story and did well keeping his audience
interested on what drove Jones' away from the life of the white man, while the rest of his
characters' motivations appeared stale. Kaufman's only other writing credits are "Space
Cowboys," "Muppets From Space" and "In The Army Now" starring Pauley Shore. Even though the story
is simple and at times mundane, "The Missing" is definitely the best writing notch on his
cinematic belt.
As for Ron Howard, I think his approach to such a bland tale was just right, and he could not
have done better than anyone else with the material. However, this is not his best project.
I'll close by saying, I have not studied the Native American tribes or cultures, but I did find
the rogue pack of Apache's who steal Blanchet's daughter a little too "F-Troop" like, for those
of you old enough to know what I'm talking about.
I suggest seeing it. It's interesting enough, and I'll probably buy it when it's out on DVD. However, I
don't see myself viewing it more than one more time. It's okay at best. Benn - Where's the Humanity?
When I saw the trailers for the missing, I though it was going to be a suspenseful
supernatural Indian tale. What I got was a lame, borderline campy drama about a father
and daughter trying to come to grips with their past while trying to save the oldest
daughter, kidnapped by a bunch of ex-US army Indian scouts led by a
witchdoctor. Yeah, it's that bad.
I can't understand why any of the talent decided to do this movie. The writing is the
obvious weakness. Even though this movie may be Ken Kaufman's best achievement to date, it's
still crap. I did not care for the characters' back story, and I don't believe an eight year
old girl is that much of a billy badass in the old west.
What I did enjoy was Tommy Lee Jones
giving a commendable performance to a part which could have been so much more than it was.
Cate Blanchet's performance reminded me of the lady who was in the TV series "Dr.
Quinn, Medicine Woman." I do agree with Benn that the bad guys did give that "F Troop"
performance, as well as the U.S. Army Calvary soldiers being led by non other than Val "I
have fallen into the land of B-Rated movies and cant get up" Kilmer (At First Site).
This movie should be seen if you are a Tommy Lee Jones fan, and by anybody who wants to
see what a bad spaghetti movie looks like. Brian - The Naked Gun
If you're looking for a decent western drama involving cowboys heading off on a rescue
mission, see "The Searchers" starring John Wayne if "The Missing" doesn't do it for you.
I did enjoy this picture. There were a lot of scenes I appreciated viewing in an otherwise
spaghetti shadowed project, but "The Missing" had plenty of story points I felt were...well...missing.