With Ron Howard, a good cast, and western scenery, not to mention the intriguing title, I expected a good movie. I have never been more disappointed. What I got was an interminable saga of misery, sadism, and familial bitterness, with no redeeming feature. One has to blame the script, to begin with. How unrelentingly dreary, unsatisfying, and distasteful can a script be? But surely Ron Howard understands the need for some sort of a break in the ugliness. There was none. The little girl was the single humanizing factor, and it was too much for her to carry alone. Tommy Lee and Cate, for all their acting skills, failed to evoke any kind of warm, sympathetic response in me. I kept comparing this movie with "The Outlaw Josey Wales" since both were replete with Comancheros, captives, and killings. Yet "Josey Wales" had rich moments of humor and warmth; so much so that I enjoy watching it every few years. I would not watch this movie again under any circumstances. Worst of all, "The Missing" missed any sort of overarching vision that would have given it coherence and meaning.
Review of The Missing
