The Missing (I) (2003) User Reviews

Bleak, chilling suspense on the frontier.

[modern_maiden · 8/10 · 25 November 2003]

The premise of this film that the main character (played by Cate Blanchett) is a rancher and doctor living in the wilds of New Mexico. Her daughter is kidnapped by a group of outlaws led by a psychopathic witch doctor. At the same time, her estanged father (played by Tommy Lee Jones) enters her life, and she is faced with her deep hatred of him, weighed against her need for his help. The rest of the story I won't give away.

I've read whisperings of Oscar nominations, which may be a fair statement, but although these rumors have been directed towards Blanchett, I would say that Jones had the stronger performance. Blanchett was excellent as well though, depicting a hard-laboring no-nonsense rancher perfectly, not trying to inject any glamour into her role whatsoever, as might have been the case if certain other big name actresses had played the role. I am forever amazed by Blanchett's versatility! The girls playing the daughters were excellent

too, specially the youngest one, who had a number of intense emotional scenes.

I liked the bleak feeling presented in the film...the raw climate, the hopelessness combined with determination that the characters portrayed. The heroic rescue attempts were not without their screw-ups, making the story much more realistic than a typical Western shoot-em-up hero movie.

I also enjoyed the element of mysticism, which was pulled off without being too corny. The main villain in this film was quite possibly the creepiest, ugliest villain to grace the screen in years! Yet somehow it wasn't too trite either.

My personal beef with most Hollywood epics is that friggin' annoying sweeping soundtrack music, which practically spells out to you how you are supposed to feel, replacing the emotion that should have been created by the acting and directing. Thankfully, the soundtrack didn't overwhem this film. Just some well placed ambient music which supplemented the scenes nicely.

Definitely one of the better films I've seen lately. I rate it 8/10.

very good, suspenseful film

[darrynbates · 8/10 · 10 March 2004]

Very reminiscent of 'The Searchers', probably the best of the John Wayne-John Ford teamups, 'Missing' plays better as a thriller set in the West, than as a 'mystical Western' (which is what I think it was really going for). Predictably excellent performances from Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones, and a fantastic performance from Eric Schweig as the Apache witch doctor. I was surprised to discover the film was mostly dumped on by critics in the US, and bombed there. It's had a much better response here, as I think it should have. Look out also for Evan Rachel Wood, so good in 'Thirteen', as the older of Blanchett's two daughters. This ranks as Ron Howard's best.

reminiscent of "The Searchers"

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 20 February 2013]

Ron Howard directs Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones, Evan Rachel Wood, and Val Kilmer in "The Missing," a 2003 western.

Cate Blanchett plays Maggie Gilkeson, a medical woman in 1885 New Mexico, where she lives with her daughters and a ranch hand Brake (Aaron Eckhart), who is also her lover. One day, her father Samuel (Tommy Lee Jones) shows up after 20 years. She wants nothing to do with him as he left the family to go live with the Indians.

He finally gets the message and takes off, only to become drunk in town and land in jail. Meanwhile, Maggie's daughter Lily has been kidnapped and Brake murdered, apparently by Indians. Unable to get help from the sheriff, Maggie reluctantly has her father released from jail and asks for his help in finding her daughter.

Lily and other girls have been kidnapped with the intention of selling them into prostitution. The kidnappers are a combination of renegade Indians and whites who are working with them. Maggie, her father, and her young daughter, who refuses to be left behind, set out on their trail.

Glorious-looking film that points up the brutality of life in the west, as well as the filth, and the strength that people had to have to survive. A woman had to be able to use a rifle, hunt, skin a deer, and do all the things that the men had to do.

My understanding is that this film bombed; I'm not sure why. It has wonderful performances and no expense was spared, and also, as far as the violence, seems realistic.

Cate Blanchett gives a magnificent performance as Maggie, a determined woman made of steel, who doesn't care what her father does for her - she still hates him. Tommy Lee Jones is a no-nonsense faux Indian (he might be part-Indian - this isn't made clear, but it seems unlikely) who knows his way around and believes in all the Indian lore. In one striking scene, Maggie becomes extremely ill -- according to Samuel, the brujo (Indian witch) put a curse on her. He calls in one of the Indians helping them to break the spell; meanwhile, her daughter reads the Bible out loud.

"The Missing" is reminiscent of "The Searchers" but here, the relationship between Samuel and Maggie goes a little deeper than thqt of Martin and Ethan. Maggie slowly moves from dislike to an uneasy alliance to a limited understanding of Samuel and finally, acceptance and gratitude, even if it's without total understanding. For Samuel, he is doing what he was told to do by a medicine man -- return to his family and protect them.

Truly excellent film, an old-fashioned western in many ways, intertwined with a strong relationship story and suspense.

surprising hero, substantial villain

[kevincisneros2003 · 9 March 2004]

This movie is about New Mexico, not Arizona, and therefore deals with some elements of Southwestern frontier life that either are left out of most "Westerns" or are portrayed in a completely different way.

The first element is "mixed blood" persons. Although it is never clear whether Tommie Lee Jones' character is a white man living as an Apache, or is a "mixed blood," of bi-racial parents, who tries to live as both white and Apache, it doesn't matter. What matters about is that we see that only the bad people, of both races, resent him. The good people of each race -- eventually -- accept him for who he is.

The second element is the general representation of English settlers. Whenever an English person is shown in a Western movie it is either as a silly dude or an arrogant gunslinger. But most English were, like Mr. John Tunstall the rancher, from Canada, and were accustomed to the roughness of frontier life. So, here, Cate Blanchett first appears on-screen in an outhouse holding a wad of catalog paper.

The third element is the matter of social hypocrisy. Oscar Wilde (who once visited the American West) said, "Hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue." Thus, Cate Blanchett insists her occasional bed-mate never sleep with her when visitors are present on the homestead. Rather, he should keep up appearances, and sleep in his usual bed, in the bunk house. In other frontier movies unmarried cohabitation is either flaunted or causes great anxiety and guilt for the participants. But here, the characters of Cate Blanchett and Aaron Eckhart realistically consider their behavior to be decent and civilized.

The fourth difference has to do with the U.S. Army of the day (the 1880s). Val Kilmer is perfect as a well-intentioned officer who is unable or unwillling to take charge of them. To him, the mission must be defined by headquarters, not by the obvious facts. Thus stripped of initiative, he becomes more of a hindrance to peace in New Mexico Territory than a help. Some viewers may find themselves wishing, "At least he could be evil!" but it is not to be. Kilmer's character embodies that great grayness of real life that Western movies try to clarify as black and white.

Five: Sexual slavery. Yup, folks, girls are being kidnapped and sold into slavery elsewhere, for sexual purposes. This was not unusual in New Mexico. This movie makes it horribly clear that for sexual purposes a stupid girl is as good as a smart one, an ugly one as good as a pretty one, an unpleasant one as good as a pleasant one. Nope, these girls are kidnapped for only one quality, which as girls they all have equally.

The sixth element which distinguishes this from other Westerns is the relationship of death and heroism. The heroism here is not the usual kind in Westerns because it requires the hero to die. Otherwise, even if he was successful in his mission, he would've been simply more powerful than the villain, or luckier, and neither of those are moral qualities. The only other stories where this is typical behavior is in Nordic stories -- the only Viking heroes are dead, and they are heroes because they willingly died in order to achieve their goals. The Norse heaven, Valhalla, is filled with men who died trying.

The last difference is the substance of the villain. The bad guy here is a "brujo," an Apache witch-man. But he is not the usual "renegade medicine man" or fiercely-proud-but-understandably-misguided warrior. Nope, he captains supernatural forces that most viewers normally associate with wolfmen, vampires and so on. He really is evil, and his skills are greater than Cate Blanchett's (she's a Christian healer). He is brilliantly portrayed by Eric Schweig, whom most viewers probably have seen only as the young Mohican in 1992's "The Last of the Mohicans." Schweig is one of those actors who are usually assigned Indian roles because of their faces -- and probably become dispirited after a few years, when they realize that no one can or will write a role for them that is anything more than the usual. There are only a handful of actors, of any race, who could've done justice to this this "brujo" role. Schweig is so good here that the movie would've been a "tour de force" for him had not Tommie Lee Jones' dramatic experience stood in his way. In real life, Schweig is a mixed-blood Canadian, and a maker of excellent masks. No one will ever let him play Hamlet, because of his race, but maybe now screenwriters will see that serious roles can actually be written for actors such as he.

In short, if you know New Mexico you'll deeply appreciate this movie, and tip your hat to director Ron Howard if you ever see him.

A haunting Western

[PudgyPandaMan · 7/10 · 22 January 2009]

I'm typically not a fan of Westerns - being female may have something to do with it. But I liked this one. It has a good story, along with superb character development that causes you to care what's going on in the film.

The most stand out aspect for me was the villain played by Eric Schweig. He totally creeped me out. I looked up his IMDb photos and he looks nothing like he did in the film - so the makeup department had a lot to do with making his face as ugly as they did. It really adds to the evil nature of this man.

Jones is quite convincing as a white man wanting to be Indian. His face looks so aged and weathered - you believe he has lived out in the harsh western wilderness all his life. I'm a big fan of his and could watch him do his thing all day.

The director and writers did a good job of creating tension and suspense in the film. There are numerous fight and chase scenes that had me on the edge of my seat. There is quite a bit of explicit violence so this isn't one for young kids to watch.

I think the movie weaves a good tale of hardship, tragedy, failings, forgiveness and redemption. The title, I think, refers to not only her daughter that is missing - I think it refers to several themes missing in the life of Cate Blanchett's character. First, there is the missing dad that abandoned her. There's the missing trust of men in general since she apparently was the victim of rape - and that subsequently resulted in the birth of her daughter. There are also the fathers of her daughter's who are no where to be seen - so that her daughters are having to grow up without a dad as well. No husband either (just a live-in boyfriend). She is totally alone and has to fend for herself and her girls. Blanchett does a great job of bringing the steeliness of her character to life.

Without giving away what happens, I found the ending very touching.

Good western with glimmer and glittering landscapes

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 12 January 2005]

The picture deals with a family formed by the mother (Cate Blanchett) , two daughters and her lover (Aaron Eckart ). The grandfather (Tommy Lee Jones) appears after long time . Then , the oldest daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) is kidnapped by the Chiricaghua Apaches and they set out in looking her for . They will have to confront a lot of dangers and they will track down a group of Indians commanded by a villain and ominous sorcerer . The confrontation will be terrible .

In the film there are shootouts , noisy action , wonderful landscapes , fights and a little bit of violence . In the support cast of the film appears various actors who usually play Indians roles , such as Eric Schweig and Steve Reevis , because being native origin , and both of them along with Tommy Lee Jones learned some words of the Chiricaghua language . Eric Schweig along with Wes Studi , Graham Greene , Tantoo Cardinal , Michael Spears , Rodney A Grant and Floyd Westerman , among others , appear in almost all movies with Indians , starting with : ¨Dancing with wolves¨ and continuing with ¨The last Mohican¨ . And a brief role for Val Kilmer, who previously worked together director Ron Howard in Willow , as Kilmer lives on a nearby New Mexico ranch, agreed to producers a secondary cameo in this film . The motion picture didn't obtain success and was a real flop at box office , in spite of the extraordinary sets (New Mexico) , enjoyable cinematography and atmospheric musical score by the great James Horner. The flick will appeal to Indians western fans

Reminiscent of the westerns of old

[rosscinema · 7/10 · 14 December 2003]

The story of this film evokes thoughts of John Ford's "The Searchers" and while this is nowhere near as wonderful as that, it's still a pretty entertaining western thanks to the good cast and cinematography. Story is about Maggie Gilkeson (Cate Blanchett) who has a ranch and is also known for her doctoring skills. She has two daughters Lilly (Evan Rachel Wood) and Dot (Jenna Boyd) and Lilly who is a teenager dreams of a better life than working on a ranch. The foreman of the ranch is Brake (Aaron Eckhart) who supplies Maggie with sex occasionally but lives in the bunkhouse so no one will think otherwise. One day a drifter enters the area needing to see a doctor and it turns out the man is Maggie's father. Tommy Lee Jones plays Samuel Jones who deserted the family years ago and has been living with the Indians and has adopted they're customs.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Brake takes Lilly and Dot with him to take care of the cattle but they do not return so Maggie goes to see where they are. She discovers Brake dead and Lilly gone but Dot is found and she says that Indians have taken Lilly with them. Samuel tells her that they have taken her to Mexico where she will be sold into prostitution. Maggie tells him that she is going with him with Dot although time is crucial because he does not think that they will get her back if they cross into Mexico. The Indians that have taken Lilly are headed by a witch doctor named Chidin (Eric Schweig) who can cast spells and is very superstitious.

This is the first western that Ron Howard has directed and although there are serious flaws in the script he is still saved by a good cast and terrific cinematography. This is not exactly one of Howard's better films and its because of the contrivances in the script. The only reason to have the young daughter Dot come along on a dangerous trip is to provide more dramatic events like getting her foot stuck in between two rocks while a flood pours in. Val Kilmer has a small role as a calvary officer and they refuse to listen and do the sensible thing. The script takes the black magic seriously in the story and we are suppose to believe that Chidin can in fact cast spells! But its hard to not enjoy a western with two great actors like Blanchett and Jones. This film is enhanced by the wonderful faces of its stars and Jones who has a rough looking profile is perfect for this genre. Blanchett has classic features and the camera loves her and there are several shots in this film that has her poised with mountains or the plains in the background. These shots are breathtaking to look at. One thing I did notice about Blanchett was her hands. Her hands are always rough looking with dirty fingernails and you can see that she took her role seriously. Schweig is pretty good as the menacing Chidin and with his broad build and crooked teeth he does make us think that Jones is in for a tough time but you had to wonder why anyone would be found around him. He doesn't exactly come off as someone you would want to do business with. Not a great film or a classic western but with the two leads giving strong performances I do recommend it.

A great cast in a good movie

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 6 November 2011]

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to see The Missing, after hearing so many negative things about it. That said, part of me knew I should see it because the cast were of such high calibre. After finally watching The Missing, I actually thought it was a good movie with a great cast. I can see why some may dislike it, while the story has a great idea and is very gripping the changes in focus(western, than mystery thriller then a mystical theme introduced) become all too frequent and convoluted. The ending seemed rather tired and stretched too, while the last thirty minutes or so weren't as interesting as the rest of the film. However, it is a visually captivating movie, very well photographed and striking in the scenery. The music score is also powerful and the script is generally good and the mysticism was interesting to watch and had an intriguing angle to it. The cast are great, Cate Blanchett gives meat to her character and gives another strong account of herself, and Tommy Lee Jones looks the part and is suitably commanding. Of the support cast, although Evan Rachel Wood is good, Eric Schwieg's genuinely frightening villain gets top honours here. Overall, a great cast but for me the movie was just good, several impressive things but some area for improvement too. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A slice of TRUE western history, finally brought to life...

[Missileman1 · 9/10 · 7 January 2006]

As a 'local' – Arizona – long-time US southwestern resident and historian, I have to bite my lip occasionally at many of the ridiculous reviews for this excellent Ron Howard film.

It's so easy to spot the ignorant…

For all their emotion about this film, most reviewers' clichés, inaccurate statements, mistaken references, mis-understood, mis-referenced or mis-opted views of 'Western movies' (let alone, southwestern history, and general mis-direction of history en toto), grossly reveal the puerile, Hollywood brain-damage…

Pity … they could have learned a lot if they only KNEW. Not only is Ron Howard's effort well-directed, it's very historically accurate. Point-in-fact: his acting crew, notably Tommy Lee Jones, had to learn whole sentences/paragraphs in the Apache-ne-Athe(p/b)ascan derivative language (as well as their meanings), in not just short, 'indian' phrases as in most 'Western-style' films, but to those which accurately depict the spoken word of the time. None less than Elbys Huger, Berle Kanseah and Scott Rushforth did Howard employ as linguist-teachers for the actors for accuracy (please, do your research). In addition, western settlers at that time on the southern borders of New Mexico and Arizona were vilely subjected to early forms of terrorism in the southwest – including what you see on-screen. Those bands of Mescalero/Chiricahua natives were normally (though not totally) averse to kidnapping young, white females of European descent for slave-trading from western settlers (as well, married adult females). However, and in particular addition, rituals of northern-Sonoran Indians – Yaqui (there were other tribes) – vastly apart from Cochise's band of Chiricahua Apaches, were especially ruthless against 'whites', employing those very diatribes Eric Schwieg (aka, 'el brujo', 'Pesh Chidin') perpetrated against western immigrants. And, BTW, Schwieg was absolutely SUPERIOR in the role – the man surely deserved not only credibility, but Oscar consideration – he is that good; if you knew only a sliver of southwestern history, you'd know his portrayal is not only authentic, but well-portrayed (eastern-USers, Canadians, take note – you've no conscience of southwestern US history unless you've studied/lived it – mark my word, Pilgrim).

Re/ The Entertainment value: - TLJones: always a distinct pleasure, thank you Thomas – extraordinarily well-done, and one of your very best efforts – applauses; how-went the linguistics for the film? - Ms. Cate Blanchett: as well, extraordinary effort; you are, still, a gem-in-the making, and exceptionally well-suited for the part – truly, WELL DONE …you exemplified the character. Where did you learn about the southwest of the US??) - Jay Tavare: your portrayal of 'Kayitah' was exemplary and believable. Nice going! You have more Hollywood parts in your future – stay with it. - Steve Reevis: "Two Stone" – you should have been cast earlier in larger roles. Enjoyed you in 'Last of the Dogmen' - Even, Jenna: stay with it - in a few years you may think about changing your mind – maybe even now; you both have the energy – how badly do you want it??

9.5/10 -- believe it; or buy a history book and educate yourself about the REAL southwestern US

just wish he had gone all the way

[winner55 · 7/10 · 10 July 2006]

Missing is one half a great "post-Western" western, and one half schlock. What happened?

Ron Howard is too much a part of Hollywood... He thinks he is getting down and dirty with some of the violence in this film, but the fact is, the real situations depicted here would be far stronger and far more cold-blooded than Howard is willing to get. This film needs a major re-write by Sam Peckinpah or Clint Eastwood.

We all know that the killings of the two errant cowboys in Eastwood's Unforgiven are actually far more horrifying than the final shoot-out, despite the fact that they are entirely expected, and that there would be no movie without them, and despite the fact that the final shoot-out goes Gothic and grand-guinol on us. But Eastwood depends on this juxtaposition - the killings of the cowboys are portrayed realistically, the final shoot-out is the stuff myth is made from, the whole point of the movie.

Howard actually misses this bet; the grandfather Tommy Lee Jones plays gets too sentimental for the biography of him we are given - he needs to be as hard as the creepy witch-guy he needs to confront to save his granddaughters. And as with every male director who tries to get feminist on us, the daughter and granddaughters are annoying pains in the behind; if I were Jones, I'd have let them suffer.

What is really good about the film is it's magnificent cinematography; and I respect Howard for the risks he was willing to take to make this film. I just wish he had gone all the way with it.

Misery in New Mexico

[gloryoaks · 2/10 · 19 March 2004]

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.

Spectacular Low Paced Western

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 15 December 2004]

In Nineteenth Century New Mexico, Maggie Gilkeson (Cate Blanchett) is a lonely rancher and healer, living alone with her two daughters, the teenager Lily Gilkeson (Evan Rachel Wood) and the ten years old girl Dot Gilkeson (Jenna Boyd), and her assistant and lover Brake Baldwin (Aaron Eckhart) and the employee Emiliano (Sergio Calderón). When her absent father Samuel Jones (Tommy Lee Jones), of whom Maggie feels grief for leaving her when she was a child, visits the Gilkeson's family, Lily is kidnapped with other local women by a group of rebel apaches to be sold as slave in Mexico. The Indians, leaded by "el brujo" (the witch) Pesh-Chidin (Eric Schweig), kill Brake and Emiliano, and Maggie, having no other person to support her beyond the young Dot in the search for Lily, asks her father to track the captives. The weird trio follows the kidnappers, being the beginning of a spectacular low paced story. "The Missing" is a magnificent contemporary western, having a great plot with drama, mysticism, action and thriller. The characters are slowly developed in a very consistent way, and have outstanding performances of Cate Blanchett (as usual), Tommy Lee Jones and the starlet Jenna Boyd. The locations are stunning, and the soundtrack is very powerful. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Desaparecidas" ("Missing")

A good,non stereotypical western.

[SmileysWorld · 7/10 · 19 June 2005]

She was forced to rely upon someone she had nothing but contempt for,her own father,to get back someone she held dear,her daughter.This is the dilemma faced by Maggie Gilkeson(Cate Blanchett).I found myself admiring the strength of Blanchett's character,as well as the character of Jones (Tommy Lee Jones) for his having the strength to return after a long absence.The story is indeed a compelling one,with strong performances by all and strong direction by Ron Howard.I surprised that there aren't more positive reviews of the film,because for me personally,it did it's job and did it well.Though it is set in a western time period,this is not your typical western,which is a good thing because when comes to this genre,we are always looking for something different than the usual stereotype.This film pulls it off.Well done.

Study in stupidity

[okami_ito · 3/10 · 16 June 2009]

Watch Tommy Lee Jones as an old guy with long hair and a big hat. He left is family in favor of spending his time with an Indian tribe. Cate Blanchett is his daughter and she's pretty angry with Jones for being a p##spoor father. Unfortunately her daughter is abducted by a creepy Indian voodoo-doctor and his fierce crew (their business being human trafficking, slaughter and torture). Of course Blanchett needs daddy's help to save the daughter. Good guys hunt the bad guys, you've seen it a 1000 times.

So what does kitsch-master Howard do to infuse that old plot with fresh blood? Well, nothing! But wait he does something special: Everything in his picture happens because of the stupidity of its protagonists. So we got good idiots hunt the bad guys. That's something new. If you're in the right mood that can be quiet funny, but if you really like the good old hunting story you'll be disappointed. Performances are all solid, though, so it's slightly better then staring at a wall.

I liked this A LOT.

[DeirdreoftheSorrows · 29 February 2004]

I don't understand why so many people seem to dislike this film. It has an awful lot going for it, a superb cast, gripping story line , much accuracy, excellent direction and cinematography,superb scenery, not to mention the darker side of Native American beliefs. *****POSSIBLE SPOILER.... Tommy Lee Jones was superb as Cate Blanchets estranged father, and the fact that it was hinted that Lilli, the 'missing' daughter was concieved in less than ideal circumstances was, I think pivotal to the animosity Blanchets character felt toward her father, the fact that he was not there to protect her when she needed him. The fact that Jones was not expecting to be forgiven, but had in fact turned up when he did as the result of being bitten by a rattlesnake and as part of his 'cure', suggested by a medicine man, was that he should not eat rabbit for a year and go look after his family, shows that he had turned up for purely selfish reasons, much the same motivation as to why he left in the first place. **********The complex and compelling characters are acted superbly by a first class cast, without exception, and the deep and more sinister back ground of the brujo man gives this an element not often seen in a film of this genre. I love Westerns, though this film is much more, it is a superb study of human interaction, in a difficult and brutal era in the history of the American people. Ron Howard is to be congratulated for giving the depth to these characters that so many classic westerns dont.

A good film, with excellence performances, and notable cameos.

[em-632-781000 · 7/10 · 1 January 2018]

I have always loved westerns, since I started watching them back in the 1940's, and this one is entertaining. Cate Blanchett who for my money can hold her own with the very best actors currently working, and even a few legends like Katherine Hepburn, who she once so ably portrayed in The Aviator. And Tommy Lee Jones, who is a natural fit for the western genre, both combine their talents to make this very watchable, although the plot is somewhat predictable, and rather slow paced. Still, the character studies are worth the viewing, and there is enough action to satisfy the formula. Val Kilmer and others lend valuable support, although in Kilmer's case I cannot help but hear Doc Holiday in his drawl. This one slipped by me when it first appeared in theaters, and I'm glad to catch up with it at last. Worth your while, if you like solid acting, and western films.

There's always the next something, Maggie. And that will take a man away.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 20 October 2010]

The Missing is directed by Ron Howard and adapted by Ken Kaufman from the novel The Last Ride written by Thomas Eidson. It stars Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchet, Eric Schweig, Evan Rachel Wood, Jenna Boyd, Ray McKinnon, Val Kilmer & Aaron Eckhart. James Horner scores the music and Salvatore Totino is the cinematographer.

New Mexico 1885 and frontier doctor Maggie Gilkeson (Blanchet) has to seek help from her estranged father Samuel Jones/Chaa-duu-ba-its- iidan (Lee Jones), when her eldest daughter is kidnapped by Pesh-Chidin/El Brujo (Schweig) an Apache Warlock who sells girls into prostitution.

An obvious variation on John Ford's The Searchers, The Missing slipped under the radar some what of Western fans who were greatly served by Kevin Costner's Open Range released the same year. It was a box office flop; which in a genre that has rarely hit great heights in modern times is hardly surprising, but to dismiss Howard's film as a fop is just wrong. True enough it's hardly original on the page, but it manages to not sacrifice character depth as it crams in the Western staples. While there is plenty enough here for none Western fans to enjoy; from the many colourful characters on show (including a great horror movie like villain in Schweig), to the panoramic scenery, and the number of action sequences that flit in and out of the narrative. There's a little something for most movie loving fans.

The cast, too, are value for money. Blanchet gives it guts and layers as Maggie, emotionally cold, is forced to put family dissension to one side and take up arms as a Western heroine, and Wood equally holds court with her transference from irksome waif to bold babe. Tommy Jones enjoys himself as he finds a cowboy role to suit his craggy features, features that impressively dovetail with Salvatore's stark photography of the landscapes. Along with the plucky and endearing young Jenna Boyd's performance it obviously only really mounts up to a broken family coming together under duress. But as a quartet, and with Schweig's vile turn as the "monster" of the piece in amongst them, they function so well, thus all character arcs are acted skilfully and please the senses. Also to be applauded is the use of genuine Apache language from some of the actors, a nice touch that shows a director taking his material seriously.

There's a few endings available to view via DVD etc, but the one that Howard chose for its general release is the right one. It perhaps doesn't hold any great surprise, given the directors reputation and output thus far, but it works well in the context of the story and the period tone set throughout. A safe film, then, one that is very well made and tells its story efficiently in structure and verse. If only the script had dared to take a few more risks then this surely wouldn't have been the monetary flop it was. Still, give it a go and you may find as much to like as I did. 7/10

" The Signs of the Earth Mother are for everyone, but few take the time to see them "

[thinker1691 · 7/10 · 27 March 2011]

Across the state of New Mexico there several thousand stories indelibly written in the sand. In Hollywood, the West was settled with White men perceived as the good and Indians always portrayed as bad. This changed in the sixties. Today, audiences are treated to a mixed blending of Bad Whites and good Indians. This film is called " The Missing " and stars Tommy Lee Jones as a father who's family disowned years ago. His eldest daughter does not want him and asks him to leave on sight. However, some marauding bandits and Rengading Indians, kidnapped his granddaughter and both he and his daughter must work together to chase after them and bring the girl home. The movie is directed by Ron Howard and that alone tells you it's going to be a good film. Tommy Lee Jones is Samuel Jones, the wayward father, Cate Blanchett plays Magdalena Gilkeson, his unforgiving daughter and Val Kilmer taking a bit part as Lt. Jim Ducharme. The film has much to say concerning the Southwestern natives, their methods and their counterparts the ambivalent U.S. Army. Furthermore, the adventure in the rugged southwestern landscape is well depicted throughout the dramatic film. Lee gives a striking performance and Blanchard holds her own as well. The cast too is superior as are the action sequences and confrontation between characters. Much credit should be given to writer Thomas Eidson for his thoughtful story between the Native Americans and the emerging citizens of early America. ****

Far better than yer' average horse opera

[pfgpowell-1 · 7/10 · 21 August 2010]

Time was that you couldn't turn on the TV without being ridden down by some horse opera or other. They were churned out by the yard in the Forties, Fifties and Sixties and all had the usual stock characters, stock lines and stock plots. With the Sixties' counter-culture when, by definition, anything your ma and pa valued was to be rejected and then with the subsequent humiliation of the US in Vietnam, a debilitating lack of confidence set in in Hollywood and all the good guy/bad guy taming the west according to a rigid moral code began to seem more than faintly ridiculous. A series of oil crises didn't help and it must at times have seemed that the American Dream was finally over, so celebrating it with hog roasts and hoedowns became a touch infra dig. From there on in the West either had to be portrayed in a semi-ironic fashion a la Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kind or with the kind of pseudo realistic grit Hollywood cribbed - and, ironically, sanitised - from Sergio Leone' spaghetti westerns. Subsequent attempts have, in this writer's opinion usually failed - The Unforgiven was startlingly unoriginal despite what the pundits claim - and although yer' actual cowboy was now invariably dirty and unshaven rather than clean-cut and wholesome, the clichés lived on. The Missing is thus rather refreshing in that nothing is really cut and dried, the usual suspect round-up of characters is absent and it somehow avoids dishonesty. Yes, there's hokum aplenty, with director Ron Howard dipping his toe into native American culture (I really have no clue how authentic it is) in a very post-modern way. With The Missing, it's wise not to analyse too carefully or the whole thing might fall apart, but, for this writer at least, it is several cuts above similar fare. (I saw The Outlaw Josey Wales recently and was distinctly underwhelmed, although another recent 'western' The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Rober Ford was way better than many other films of its year.) The central relationship and reconciliation between renegade white man Tommy Lee Jones who had abandoned his family and lived as a native American, and Cate Blanchett as the daughter he more or less discarded is surprisingly delicately done and quite convincing. I especially like the touch where Lee Jones reappearance has apparently nothing to do with remorse but because a shaman told him 'treating his family well' was part of the cure if he wanted to recover from a rattlesnake bite. As usual, of course, 'our side' - that is Lee Jones, Blanchett, the daughter she sets out to rescue and the other kidnapped girls - has more than its fair share of good luck, and as the title begin to roll, evil is yet again vanquished and we can all get back to our nine-to-five existence again with a lighter heart. I was especially impressed with Lee Jones way with a vulture which he persuaded to lead him home rather than set about pecking at his supposedly dying body. But as I say, The Missing is several cuts about similar fare and can hold its head high. Recommended more than many.

Good dark material departs from usual Ron Howard fare

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 18 October 2013]

It's 1885 New Mexico, Samuel Jones (Tommy Lee Jones) has return to reconcile with his estranged daughter Maggie Gilkeson (Cate Blanchett). He had abandoned her 20 years ago, and she rejects him right away. When her oldest daughter Lilly (Evan Rachel Wood) is kidnapped by Indian outlaws, Maggie must seek his father's help.

This is a departure from the usual Ron Howard fare. It's moody atmosphere can be attributed mostly to Tommy Lee Jones' performance. It's a fascinating side note to Howard's career and great to see him imitate 'The Searchers'. There is a lot of ugliness being shown but the ending is too traditional for this stark dark tale. I think Howard couldn't really go to the lower depths in the end. It's a great effort for an accomplished director to go outside his comfort zone.

Over long and over dreary

[lcampbellyoung · 6/10 · 6 July 2021]

I nearly walked out of this because it was just too much. The villain is truly horrible which was great, but it was relentless. No humour, no warmth, just drudgery with the protagonists making stupid mistakes which had me hating them for being so stupid! The little girl was fantastic in her role, but I ultimately didn't really invest in them enough to care what happened to them. I love Tommy Lee Jones, and just kept wishing this was Lonesome Dove...

Tommy Lee as "Tommy Lee".....yet again

[aimless-46 · 5/10 · 10 February 2006]

Although "The Missing" is generally regarded as director Ron Howard's weakest film, there are few complaints about his casting or his acting for the camera directing. Most of the criticism is reserved for the film's total lack of unity, as the first half, an excellent example of a realistic frontier western, is totally disconnected from the second half which tries to be a supernatural thriller. You can't have it both ways, even if it were possible to adequately tie the two disparate halves together each has its own completely different target audience.

All this means that those who enjoy the first half will be looking around the room at the halfway point trying to discover where their film went, while those who might have enjoyed the new direction will have turned off the film before the segments that might interest them even make it to the screen. This seems like something the producer should have identified and corrected before a single frame of film was shot.

Tommy Lee plays a white man in 19th century New Mexico who has elected to live as an Indian, insert "Hombre" here. In yet another reprise of his character in "The Fugitive", he (big surprise) is not big on smiling or on emotional displays of any kind. Cate Blanchett plays his estranged (and widowed) daughter Maggie who lives out on a primitive ranch with her two daughters Lily (Evan Rachel Wood) and Dot (Jenna Boyd-the little girl with the creepy smile in "Dickie Roberts"). Tommy Lee arrives at the ranch at the beginning of the film seeking to reconcile with his daughter. Unfortunately the intensity of Maggie's initial rejection tips off age eight and older viewers that they will patch things up by the end of the film.

Feminine daughter Lily is soon abducted by a mixed band of Apache scouts and white renegades. Tommy Lee, Maggie, and tomboy daughter Dot take off after them.

It is about this time that things go from gritty realistic to weird and stupid as we meet Eric Schweig, who has had the Indian role in most of the movies made since 1990. And guess what? He's an Indian; a witchdoctor or shaman or shape-shifter called Pesh-Chidin or El Brujo or that weird ugly guy with all the snakes. And more guess what: He looks spooky and his magic really works. He hangs snakes from trees and throws the poisonous dust from magic beans in the eyes of his enemies.

Dr. Brujo has masterminded a plot in which his gang will abduct eight virgins and sell them for more magic beans down in Mexico. He even manages to bewitch Maggie from a distance. Busy as he is, Dr. Brujo still manages to find time to berate his housekeeper, whip his deformed stupid assistants, and critique the world's first known bondage photos.

It's nonstop boredom and yawns aplenty in the second half of this genre-bridging low-key quasi-thriller.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

One of the best westerns i've ever seen.

[Ben_Cheshire · 8/10 · 13 July 2004]

Cate Blanchett has been surviving just fine on her own, but when some indians kill her boyfriend and kidnap her eldest daughter (she has one other, who's quite good), she is forced to ask her strange and estranged father (Tommy Lee Jones) for help.

Ron Howard finally made that western he's been dreaming of since he was a kiddie putting together home movies of men on horses riding into town (which you can find on The Missing DVD) - and i hope it surpasses his wildest dreams.

Its widescreen wild-west vistas make this one of the most beautiful films to come out of Hollywood in years. Cinematography is superb, to say the least.

And its suspense is perfect. I wasn't bored one minute - it is regulated by violent outbursts from the indians at unexpected intervals. As soon as we're about to wonder why we were so scared of the indians, we are reassured why.

Virtually constant camera movement and hand-held work take us into the world of The Missing, and make it really come alive. Ron Howard really knows what he's doing.

10/10. A beautiful, suspenseful, outstanding film.

Parent's Warning: its quite violent. Many graphic deaths, many more where the violence is strongly suggested. Make sure your audience is over, say, 16.

Marginally entertaining run of the mill Hollywood Western.

[=G= · 6/10 · 25 February 2004]

"The Missing", a drama set in the late 1800's American South West, tells of the abduction of a girl by a bunch of Indians to be sold into slavery across the border in Mexico. The girl's grandfather (Jones), a European American who follows the Indian ways, and the girl's homesteading mother (Blanchett) set off to rescue the kidnapee. So begins a 2+ hour long film which portends hard-bitten authenticity but plays out as a run of the mill Western with the usual sterling performance by Blanchett and the usual good-but-not-great work by Jones. Artistically and technically just okay, this flick makes for an entertaining run-of-the-mill Western with lots of Indian talk, symbolism, shaman gobbledygook and some human issues which are rendered with marginal efficacy. Okay stuff for those in the mood for a somewhat long Western. (B-)

Family of Idiots

[cejwildman · 1/10 · 18 July 2021]

Never have I wanted anybody to be killed as much as the idiot daughter of this moronic woman.