'The Guilty': Jake Gyllenhaal ably leads this confining thriller
What's the story
The Guilty, the English adaptation of the brilliant Danish film Den Skyldige, is now streaming on Netflix. The minimalistic thriller takes place at one location with Jake Gyllenhaal single-handedly leading the story in what was a magnificent performance. While the base material is epic and the performer is excellent, the movie still does not reach the heights it planned to reach. Here's our review.
Plot
Joe is 911 operator who gets involved with a caller
Gyllenhaal plays an emergency operator, Joe, who gets too involved with saving a caller who has been abducted. We get to know he was a street police officer but was stationed here because of some offense. From the very start, The Guilty concentrates on Joe in claustrophobic close-up shots. The dearth of information about his issues and history makes the audience feel more suffocated.
Letdowns
The predictability of the twist toward the end disappoints
Although the ploy is good, the continuous tension, Joe's irritable demeanor, and the scant details about his life keep you wanting more, but not in a good way. While the first half is very tightly wound, the script by Nic Pizzolatto falters in the second half. While one can ignore the loopholes in the setting, the predictability of the twist disappoints.
Backstory
Makers fail to hold the intensity throughout
Gyllenhaal, who also produced the venture, had decided to adapt Gustav Möller's project right after he saw it. "I loved the movie, and I wanted to try and get the rights," he had said. A great theatrical performer, the Spider-Man: Far From Home actor wanted to create the movie "as if it were a theatrical production." Sadly, the movie got a bit too theatrical.
Verdict
Despite effort, it's not comparable to the Danish original
While the effort is appreciated, in no way does the Antoine Fuqua directorial surpass or even come near the impact of the 2018 original. To note, the Danish movie had represented Denmark at the 2019 Oscars in the Best Foreign Film category. Its remake is hardly comparable. Verdict: The Guilty gets 3/5 stars. You can watch it right now on Netflix.