The Missing

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Aaron Eckhart, Evan Rachel Wood, Val Kilmer, Jenna Boyd
Directed by: Ron Howard
Rating: R
Genre: Western, Action
2003

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A mother (Cate Blanchett) is horrified to learn her daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) has been captured by an Indian witch, to be sold as a slave in Mexico. She must turn to her father (Tommy Lee Jones), who abandoned her years before. They race to save the kidnapped child, before the Indians cross the Mexican border, and she is lost forever.

Review:

Tim: The Missing is a very slow film, sprinkled throughout with short scenes of action and excitement. I expected a little more from director Ron Howard. To be perfectly honest, I was quite bored throughout much of the film. There are some very dramatic and entertaining scenes, but they come only after several scenes that drag on and in which not much happens.

The film stars Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones. Blanchett is decent throughout the movie. She plays a tough and deeply troubled mother. She does this very convincingly. She even manages a good deal of tension with Jones. Jones himself plays the part of an Indianized white pretty well. He has made better films than this, however.

It should be mentioned that while this is a somewhat boring film, it is also a very beautiful film. Howard manages to capture some amazing shots of the landscape surrounding the turmoil of the plot. The sheer majesty at times is breathtaking... however, it doesn't help the boredom.

The Missing is an interesting mix of genres. It is a western, but also has elements of suspense, action, and drama mixed together. It is primarily a Western kidnapping film, but Howard manages to tell a very moving story about the relationship between a father and a daughter in the middle of it.

No one will ever call The Missing Howard's best work. It's too slow and quite boring at times. However, with an interesting story and some decent performances, it is worth seeing once. Just don't kill yourself to get it, cause its not worth it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Volcano, The Gift, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, The Core