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| Jake Gyllenhaal in "The Guilty" Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com |
Three years ago, director Gustav Möller gave us the Danish crime-thriller, “The Guilty.” At a brisk 85 minutes, he delivered an unbearably tense and emotional film that was bolstered by a strong central performance and a story that had provided one gut-wrenching reveal after another. It was one of many examples of the power that a film can have with a short runtime, a limited setting, and a small cast.
Now, director Antoine Fuqua tries his hand at an Americanized remake with his movie of the same name. Despite it pretty much being the exact same as the original, you’ll find it difficult to not at least be hooked by the strong acting at the center.
One night, when LAPD officer Joe Baylor (Jake Gyllenhaal), is working the night shift at a 911 call center, he receives a call from a woman, Emily (Riley Keough), who has been kidnapped by her husband, Henry (Peter Sarsgaard). As Joe does whatever he can to save her, he will also have to face his own wrongs that he’s committed.
Gyllenhaal continues to be one of the most captivating actors of his generation. With the movie being focused on him the whole time, he has to keep us absorbed in this harrowing night on the job, and Gyllenhaal accomplishes this to stellar effect. The stress that Gyllenhaal exhibits burns through the screen as his character races against the clock to save Emily, and Gyllenhaal shows the unwavering desperation and commitment that fuels Joe as he remains glued to his computer and tries to keep in touch with Emily. When it comes to the issues that pile on Joe from both his personal and professional life, Gyllenhaal displays his character’s anguish with a heartbreaking impact. There’s an expressiveness to Gyllenhaal that pulls you into his performances, and that’s the case with this film as he brings us through the deep strain that Joe’s experiencing.
Even though you only hear their voices in the film, Keough, Sarsgaard, and Christiana Montoya (who plays their daughter, Abby), all offer powerful vocal performances that emphasize the urgency, danger, and trauma that’s unfolding among them. The strength of their haunting work places you in Joe’s position as you listen to Emily, Henry, and Abby on the other end of the line and feel what Joe must feel in hearing their ordeal take place.
The screenplay by Nic Pizzolatto mostly follows the outline of Möller’s film. However, he shifts the story to Los Angeles and adds an angle of having the narrative take place during a massive wildfire. This gives the movie a little bit of its own identity, but it quite offer much beyond that in terms of setting itself apart from the original, resulting in a remake that isn’t all that necessary. If you’ve seen the original, you know everything that’s going to happen.
This movie is a showcase for Gyllenhaal’s acting, and it’s a terrific one at that, so the real reason to see this movie is because of him. With that, Fuqua utilizes cinematography by Maz Makhani to capture the intensity of the central performance as a way to draw us into the story, despite being able to tell where it’s all leading. Whether it’s through long takes of the phone calls or extreme closeups, Fuqua does what he can to combat the familiarity of the story and provide as much emotional tension as he can from the main character.
Although I recommend that you watch the original version of “The Guilty,” Fuqua’s remake is an example of how a rich lead performance that deserves a stronger movie can elevate the material that it already has.
Grade: B-
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