The Missing (Review)

[Terry May]

This is the new Ron Howard film I caught the other day.

STORY
In 1885 A mother (Cate Blanchette) teams up with her father (Tommy Lee Jones) who's gone native (a la red indian) and goes after her daughter who's been kidnapped by a savage Shaman Indian for slavery.


PROS
- a really fabulaously scary villain
- thankfully not politically correct i its presentation of native american Indians


CONS
-It's very very slow


VERDICT
After the truly average 'a Beautiful mind' (which won the best picture oscar over lord of the rings - WTF!) it's good to see Ron Howard broaden his filmography with something that isn't so saccharine. However it really is too slow especially as it's a 2 and quarter hour film and this is it's main fault. But for one of the best and really terrifying villains of late it's worth catching. There are scenes which really are unpleasant notably those with the totally brutal and non PC way the gang are presented especially in their treatment of women and children. It's out in March.

[lovemunkey187]

I've got to disagree with you on"A Beautiful Mind" I only caught this on Sky the other week and I've recommended it to all and sundry.

If you want a God-awful film try Monsters Ball. The only film I've seen at the cinema where I walked out. Hannibal I fell asleep during and the person next to me had to nudge me and wake me, because I was snoring. American Psycho I wanted to walk out of but I was transfixed (similar to a car crash). I couldn't beleive it, after having read the book and then seeing what they had done to a brilliant book was unreal. I can't even face rereading the book now, that's how bad I thought it was.

[Ace]

The Shining was another example of a brilliant book ruined on film. Only Jacks performance saved that picture!!

[mart]

What's the book got to do with it? I read a biography of James Whale recently (Frankenstein etc.). Universal Studios bought the film rights of H.G.Wells "The Invisible Man" for the title, and after several scriptwriters had a go, Whale brought in R.C.Sherriff who found that there wasn't a copy of the book anywhere in the studio.

Mart

[bfu]

just read the brilliant ' girl with the pearl earing' - with scarlet johannsson
in the film - fantastic book and the film is up for several awards - will i be dissapointed?

probably

though an excellent film 'the godfather' the book was much better, and so far if i've read the book first, the film is always second best. but i live in hope.

[Ace]

The Piano is a book that is par excellence but only cinematogrophy can show the harrowing scenes described in a book. Seeing is believing, whereas reading has to use imagination to conjure up such horror. One that is better on film than the novel