Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood, Jenna Boyd, Aaron Eckhart, Val Kilmer, Eric Schweig, Jay Tavare
Director: Ron Howard
Producers: Brian Grazer, Daniel Ostroff
Screenplay: Ken Kaufman, based on the novel The Last Ride by Thomas Eidson
Cinematography: Salvatore Totino
Music: James Horner
U.S. Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Minor Spoiler warning: The following review contains some minor spoilers about events that occur during the course of The Missing (mostly stuff that is revealed during the theatrical trailer). Those interested in preserving a "virgin" movie-going experience may wish to read only the first and last paragraphs.
The Missing is arguably Ron Howard's grittiest effort to date as a filmmaker. Although the leap to this movie from A Beautiful Mind isn't as great as the one made by Steven Spielberg when he followed up Jurassic Park with Schindler's List, it is nevertheless a courageous move. A Western with supernatural overtones, The Missing offers themes about redemption and tolerance, but is primarily an action-adventure movie featuring more than one shoot-out.
The story takes place in 1885 New Mexico, as the Old West is gradually becoming civilized. For someone like Maggie Gilkeson (Cate Blanchett), who lives with her lover, Brake Baldwin (Aaron Eckhart), and two daughters, Lily (Thirteen's Evan Rachel Wood), and Dot (Jenna Boyd), the loneliness of the frontier can be dangerous if marauders come calling. After Brake is killed and Lily is kidnapped by a group of army deserters led by an Apache mystic named Chidin (Eric Schweig), Maggie is forced to put aside her enmity for her estranged father, Samuel Jones (Tommy Lee Jones), so he can lead her to her daughter. As a young man, Samuel abandoned Maggie and his wife so he could "go native" and live with a tribe of Apahces. Now, with the end looming just beyond the horizon, he is seeking to make amends. So, accompanied by Dot, who will not be left behind, the two of them journey southward, hoping to head off the raiders before they cross the border into Mexico.
Much of the movie is devoted to Samuel and Maggie's pursuit of Chidin, and what happens after they track him down. Along the way, father and daughter gradually reconnect, with Samuel's willingness to sacrifice acting as a tonic to Maggie's pride and long-nursed anger. In some ways, the film's broad storyline, adapted from the novel The Last Ride by Thomas Eidson, recalls John Ford's classic Western, The Searchers. There must be something about the idea of a long pursuit through the unspoiled lands of the Old West that appeals to filmmakers, since it recurs frequently throughout the genre. However, whereas in The Searchers, the pursuer (John Wayne) was consumed by anti-Indian bigotry, in this film, the pursuer (Tommy Lee Jones) has a deep respect for the Indians, having lived amongst them for three decades.
For the most part, The Missing is a compelling, involving story. It contains a few nicely unexpected moments, and the characters and their relationships are effectively realized. The movie also does not fall into the trap of overexplaining things. We learn that Lily is the product of a rape, but this is dwelt on only as long as is necessary. And, on an occasion when a character makes a tragic error, then subsequently realizes her mistake, the look on her face says all that needs to be said. Good acting is another of the film's strengths - especially that of Cate Blanchett as the fiercely independent Maggie, Tommy Lee Jones as the aging warrior Samuel, and Evan Rachel Wood as the mistreated Lily, who discovers a hitherto unexpected inner strength.
The Missing is not without its share of problems. In the first place, the supernatural elements of the movie are poorly integrated. At times, they seem more than a little hokey, especially during a scene in which Samuel must help Maggie fight off a curse. Had more attention been played to the concept, it might have worked. Unfortunately, it comes across in the finished production as an afterthought - something added to lift this above the level of a traditional Western. (The mysticism plays a larger part in The Last Ride, where it is set up as a counterpoint to Maggie's staunch Christianity.)
Another flaw in the film is the number of brief subplots that seemingly go nowhere. There's a bit about a photographer that contains some interesting material, but is largely irrelevant to the overall story. This kind of thing happens more than once, leading me to believe that parts of a much longer version of The Missing are playing on the cutting room floor. Either that, or Howard and editors Dan Hanley and Mike Hill have done an unimpressive job sewing the movie together.
Although Westerns will almost never be as popular as they were during their heyday, they (like musicals) seem to be undergoing something of a minor revival. The perspectives are much different - it's no longer sufficient to have a simple story of cowboys against Indians - but the time period and wildness of the frontier still make for an impressive backdrop. The Missing does not surpass Kevin Costner's Open Range for the title of Best Western of 2003, but it's a worthy effort and makes for an enjoyable (if slightly overlong) two-plus hours.
© 2003 James Berardinelli