The Guilty (2021)
Laura’s Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
This film is a remake of a Danish thriller of the same name, released in 2018. That film has received critical acclaim and has very positive reviews, causing some critics to dismiss this movie as an unnecessary remake. Despite that, The Guilty (2021) has favorable reviews and Gyllenhaal has received praise for his appearance.
The Analysis:
This thriller stars Jake Gyllenhaal who plays Joe, a seasoned and cynical 911 operator. Gyllenhall is dealing with his own problems when an especially troubling call comes in from a woman who has been abducted. Unable to get a lot of info from the woman and frustrated by a lack of cooperation from highway patrol and other officers, he neglects protocol and starts a quest to find this woman, being forced to confront his own flaws in the process.
The movie takes place in a nearly singular setting of the LAPD dispatcher office and the majority of information comes in through phone calls. The movie gives a glimpse into the wild and panicked calls that 911 operators receive one after another. They must approach them with a degree of detachment and practicality that may seem cold and callous. Yet when a call hits close to home, Joe lets his emotions take over and he becomes deeply involved in the case. I expected more action, but despite the lack of action sequences happening on the screen, this movie is crazy intense. Gyllenhaal does a great job of acting with limited human interactions and relatively mundane surroundings.
This movie had me on edge as things developed and there’s a perfect balance of giving the audience just enough information while withholding some of the details until the right moment. The Guilty has been flying under the radar, but in my opinion, it’s a must-see thriller.
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