Ron Howard's latest film, The Missing, seems to indicate a desire on his part to grow as a filmmaker. That means taking on less commercial projects with challenging material. That means being willing to make mistakes for the sake of learning and growing.
The Missing is a grittier film than Howard is known for and that is both a strength and weakness. It pays off well in depicting the harsh realities of frontier life but also sets a tone Howard seems uncomfortable with, leading to the feeling during the course of the film is that something is off, not quite right. He seems to be fighting against his instincts in the hope of creating something that will broaden his skills. It's a nice start but if this film is a yardstick, he probably needs a couple more gritty films under his belt before knocking one out of the park.
The story is set in New Mexico in 1885. Maggie Gilkenson (Cate Blanchett) is a healer, living with her two daughters and a couple of farm hands, one of whom, Brake (Aaron Eckhart) occasionally shares her bed. She is a fiercely independent woman who bristles at the arrival of her long estranged father Samuel (Tommy Lee Jones). She throws him out but later has to accept his help when her oldest daughter Lilly (Evan Rachel Wood) is kidnapped by renegade Apaches. Her father has been living with Indians for decades and can track the Apaches.
They set out with youngest daughter Dot (Jenna Boyd) after the Apaches, who intend to sell Lilly and other kidnapped women into slavery in Mexico. During the chase Maggie and Samuel start to slowly come to terms with each other. It is a strained reconciliation at best but Samuel's willingness to sacrifice for his family slowly melts her icy demeanor.
The film's villain, a witchdoctor named Chidin (Eric Schweig) is a perfect microcosm of what's wrong with this movie. Schweig's performance makes for one seriously evil Indian. His mystic abilities and ruthless nature make him a frightening fellow but at the same time he does things out of character. The woman he kidnaps are never molested, a seemingly strange bit of ethics for a man willing to kill innocents and sell people into slavery. It's also unclear why he is doing this as he talks about not wanting the money himself. What exactly is he after? We never really know and that limits his character and thus his impact.
Cate Blanchett turns in a fabulous performance. She is entirely too good for the movie. She gives a great sense of how the harshness of frontier life can harden a person. Maggie comes off as relentless and unyielding, driven by a need to protect her family and deeply held religious beliefs. She has a soft side but keeps it deeply buried lest it become a liability. Tommy Lee Jones is good too, toning down his standard brassiness for a far more understated performance than we're used to seeing. I particularly like the way he periodically ratcheted down his distinctive voice significantly to add real depth and sadness to his character.
A muddled tone and over long running time keep this movie from reaching its potential. It is encumbered with side plots that lead nowhere, pushing its length slightly out of the comfort zone. Still, great performances by Blanchett and Jones, coupled with gorgeous cinematography by Salvatore Totino, make this a film worth watching.
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