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The Missing (2003)
Directed by Ron Howard
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones, Jenna Boyd
Cate Blanchett's eldest daughter is kidnapped by renegade Apaches, and her estranged father-turned-Indian Tommy Lee Jones must help her track them down, accomapnied by her yougest daughter. That about sums up the plot of this western with pseudo-mystical pretensions.
The first half of the movie is great, mostly due to the fact that Tommy Lee and Cate occupy most of the screen time. Jenna Boyd, who plays Kate's youngest daughter, also puts in an incredible performance.
It's a pity the movie started focusing more on the Indians halfway through the film. That's where it really started to lose me; especially when it got into all the mystical mumbo-jumbo, which was handled pretty poorly. Usually I like it when a western focuses on the Native American aspect of things (see Little Big Man or Dances With Wolves for how to do it right), but Ron Howard just didn't seem to have a feel for how to pull it off. Or perhaps the blame should be laid at the feet of writer Ken Kaufman. And as I said before, the mystical portion of the film was hamhanded at best. It just didn't have an air of authenticity. I'm willing to buy into that sort of thing if it's made to be believable, but The Missing just didn't cut it in this department.
On the other hand, the tension between Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett was great, and these two actors made it believable for me. He abandoned her years ago, has no particular remorse for what he did, and yet he manages to make his character seem somehow sympathetic. Cate is strict, inflexible, and rigid, but through her performance her character is one to be admired for her strength and courage. Of course, by the end of the movie, each of them learns something about the other and changes, each for the better.
The Missing (2003)
Directed by Ron Howard
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones, Jenna Boyd
Cate Blanchett's eldest daughter is kidnapped by renegade Apaches, and her estranged father-turned-Indian Tommy Lee Jones must help her track them down, accomapnied by her yougest daughter. That about sums up the plot of this western with pseudo-mystical pretensions.
The first half of the movie is great, mostly due to the fact that Tommy Lee and Cate occupy most of the screen time. Jenna Boyd, who plays Kate's youngest daughter, also puts in an incredible performance.
It's a pity the movie started focusing more on the Indians halfway through the film. That's where it really started to lose me; especially when it got into all the mystical mumbo-jumbo, which was handled pretty poorly. Usually I like it when a western focuses on the Native American aspect of things (see Little Big Man or Dances With Wolves for how to do it right), but Ron Howard just didn't seem to have a feel for how to pull it off. Or perhaps the blame should be laid at the feet of writer Ken Kaufman. And as I said before, the mystical portion of the film was hamhanded at best. It just didn't have an air of authenticity. I'm willing to buy into that sort of thing if it's made to be believable, but The Missing just didn't cut it in this department.
On the other hand, the tension between Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett was great, and these two actors made it believable for me. He abandoned her years ago, has no particular remorse for what he did, and yet he manages to make his character seem somehow sympathetic. Cate is strict, inflexible, and rigid, but through her performance her character is one to be admired for her strength and courage. Of course, by the end of the movie, each of them learns something about the other and changes, each for the better.