The Missing
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Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment / 2003 / 137 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: March 2, 2004 
This film revisits a familiar theme: outnumbered protagonists armed with unflinching determination attempt to rescue a woman abducted by savages. Perhaps the most prominent example of this theme is John Ford's The Searchers, in which John Wayne's Ethan Edwards is a bigot, highly prejudiced against the American Indian. He sought to find his kidnapped niece, but could not put aside his feelings of her being defiled; his intent was to assassinate her. But in this Ron Howard film, the pursuit is nobler; Maggie Gilkeson (Cate Blanchett) may despise the Indians she struggles to follow, but all she wishes to do is reclaim The Missing. Her intolerance likely found its roots in abandonment. As a child, her father had deserted her and his family to go native; he embraced Indian culture, remarried, but could not find it within himself to stay very long with any one tribe. Maggie watched her mother and brother die, very likely as a direct result of having to fend for themselves. Perhaps watching helplessly as her family died of disease motivated her to become a healer. Now an adult, her life is hard, tending to a small ranch, raising two daughters, Lily (Evan Rachel Wood) and Dot (Jenna Boyd), trying to keep from her children her ongoing affair with her foreman Brake Baldwin (Aaron Eckhart), and tending to the health of her neighbors and their stock even if they can't afford her medical services. The girls are a bit of a handful. Dot is a prepubescent tomboy who seems to embrace ranch life. Lily is fifteen years old going on twenty; she can't wait to escape her primitive life and move to the city.
Racial hatred is not limited to whites in this tale. An Indian warrior and skillful witch named Chidin (Eric Schweig), scarred from smallpox and suffering from a simmering rage over the encroachment of white invaders, has organized a band of savage raiders. They kidnap young women to be sold into prostitution in Mexico and torture and kill any potential witnesses. Chidin is a psychopath who delights in the pain he inflicts on the whites he hates with great passion. Lily has been taken by these marauders. It's fortunate that Samuel Jones (Tommy Lee Jones) has returned after years of desertion. His reception had not been very warm; Maggie essentially threw him off her ranch. But when neither Sheriff Purdy (Clint Howard) nor a cavalry lieutenant (played by Val Kilmer) offer to help run down the kidnappers, she's forced to fall back on the tracking skills her father had learned during his years with Native Americans. So Maggie, her father, and the headstrong Dot, who refuses to be left behind, set off to rescue Lily. There is much fighting, gunplay, and violence in this film, yet it's primarily a tale of redemption. During their arduous trek, as Maggie and her father talk, they slowly begin the process of reconciliation. It's through their wary explorations of each other's histories that we learn of their back-stories; they are finally able to confront their feelings after years of separation. Director Ron Howard does a splendid job of creating a feeling of authenticity. A character's introduction seated in an outhouse, sheets of newsprint nailed to the wall as ready toilet paper, is a typical touch, indicative of the rough living conditions portrayed in the film. The principle players are outstanding. I have long admired Cate Blanchett's work and she's quite convincing here, despite a first visit to a genre unfamiliar to her. Tommy Lee Jones is ideally cast as the craggy, taciturn loner returning to family for reasons that are quite different than those the viewer initially suspects. Jenna Boyd and Evan Rachel Wood are quite strong; Ms. Boyd in particular offers a performance that has surprising range for one so young. I cannot fault any of the supporting cast, even those who benefit from director Ron Howard's nepotism. But I found the film to be bit longer than the story could support and felt that additional trimming could have helped its pace. There is an entire sequence involving a spiritual competition for Maggie's fate; despite its inherent drama, it did nothing to propel the story forward and could have been purged. It's the cast and Howard's direction that involves the audience and ultimately delivers the emotionally satisfying (and predictable) climax.
Video: How Does The Disc Look? The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 is presented in anamorphic video. I'm pleased to report that this transfer continues Columbia TriStar's recent trend of delivering video that has virtually no halos. Small object detail is excellent, but fine textures are just a tad softer than the finest transfers. Since virtually all the supplements are on a second disc, perhaps the bit budget was greater than usual for a non-Superbit release. Salvatore Totino's fine cinematography captures the splendor of the West's open vistas. Desert, forest, and harsh outcroppings of high rock each have unique textures and coloration and each seems to have been filmed with loving care. Color accuracy is very good, with the exception of the slightest hint of red push that imparts a subtle shift toward pink in flesh tones. Deep rich blacks are apparent in dim, nighttime interiors and exteriors that were shot day for night. Shadow detail sometimes suffers, but that may have been the filmmakers' choice, an effect to add to the audience's sense of foreboding. I noticed no compression artifacts, like macroblocking or mosquito noise. The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound? The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is also excellent. Fast attack times and limited dynamic compression yield dramatic close range gunfire sounds that can be felt in your solar plexus. The surround channels are used to very good effect, placing animal sounds and gunfire in specific locations around the viewer. Equally effective are the ambient sounds and the distant reverberation of gunfire that immerse the viewer in a more diffuse sound field. EX decoding will enhance the experience. James Horner's fine score, in which he includes some Native American chanting that seems very similar to that found in his score for Thunderheart, is presented in a grand acoustic space with pleasing fidelity. Very deep bass is present, but is infrequent as is appropriate to the action onscreen. Dialog remains distortion free throughout. The alternate language is in French Dolby Surround 2.0. Subtitles are available in French and English, for which Closed Captions are also offered.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? The only supplements on disc one are trailers in a mix of video formats. The DVD is programmed to open automatically with the trailers for Hellboy (2:32) and Spiderman 2 (2:10); the disc has been authored thoughtfully to permit you to skip them with the next chapter button if you wish. Not to worry, they are available in the trailers section of this disc along with The Missing (2:32), a promo for James Horner's score for The Missing (0:31), 13 Going on 30 (2:32), Resident Evil 2 (1:24), Something's Gotta Give (2:48), Big Fish (2:27), The Statement (2:15), Panic Room (2:33), Devil's Backbone (2:11), and Mothman Prophecies (2:32). This disc's 137-minute feature film is organized into twenty-eight chapters. Disc two has a great array of full screen and non-anamorphic widescreen extras. The first cut of the film was about three hours long, so deleted scenes are a natural for this release. There are eleven of them, with an aggregate length of 17:02; they may be played individually or sequentially with the Play All option, which is hidden at the bottom of the third page of the deleted scene index. If you enjoyed the film, you're sure to enjoy these scenes. They enhance our understanding of the characters by providing additional insights. But none would have driven the plot forward and I already suggested that the film could have been trimmed further. I always enjoy Outtakes (2:31), particularly if the actor is enjoying the goofs as much as I am. Cate Blanchett certainly had a few chuckles. There isn't much material here, but I appreciated what was included. There are three Alternative Endings (7:44, 12:41, and 11:22), which also may be played individually or sequentially using a Play All option (this time, the option is a little more visible). These are variations on a theme and I cannot discuss them without revealing more than I should about the film. So perhaps this is an appropriate time to warn you that the supplements reveal far too many plot points and should be saved for after you view the feature.
This brings us to the Featurettes section where you'll find five shorts. Taken as a whole, they provide a very comprehensive description of the making of the film. Rather than provide a feature-length commentary, director Ron Howard is the featured speaker. In The Last Ride: The Story of The Missing (5:37), we learn about the origins of the film, the novel upon it was based (The Last Ride by Thomas Eidson), and hear from screenwriter Ken Kaufman. The next featurette is the most complete; New Frontiers: Making The Missing (29:07) takes us on location to watch some of the principle photography. Ron Howard praises his cinematographer. We learn about the show's set design and costume design. And several of the principle players offer comments about the film and one another. Part fluff, part documentary, I found this short to be quite good. The Modern Western Score (5:01) places the spotlight on composer James Horner as he discusses the score, his relationship with the director, and watch as the score is recorded. Casting The Missing (15:37), as the title implies, focuses on the selection of the onscreen talent for the film. Not surprisingly, Ron Howard embraces the wise philosophy that good casting not only ensures a successful film, but reduces his workload and stress considerably. As is his practice, he enjoys a bit of nepotism on his films, and he's pleased to discuss the contributions of various family members. Apache Language School (5:43) demonstrates how the filmmakers strove for authenticity. Native American speakers were hired to translate the screenplay's lines attributed to the Indian characters speaking in their native tongue. The speakers also coached the cast to ensure proper pronunciation. In another featurette section entitled Ron Howard on... the director may be heard discussing his experiences and affection for the Western genre. On the first page of this two-page section, there are six short featurettes: Home Movies (5:51), John Wayne (3:08), Editing (2:12), The Filmmaking Process (2:20), His Love For Westerns (1:50), and Conventions of Westerns (2:55). During Home Movies, Howard explains how his father reminded him that this is not the first time he created films in this genre. Like other prominent directors, Howard enjoyed tinkering with a home movie camera as a child. On the second page of this section, you'll find three such early efforts: The Deed of Daring Do (3:01); Cards, Cads, Guns, Gore and Death... (2:11); and, Old Paint (7:52). Finally, you'll find dozens of stills in the Photo Galleries for Cast, Production, and Location. DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC? As is common on recent Columbia TriStar DVDs, the disc automatically loads an applet that provides hot links to website pages for registering for a newsletter, Columbia TriStar DVDs, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Parting Thoughts One could rightfully argue that this film does not represent Ron Howard's best work. It is somewhat derivative and predictable, and yet the performances are very fine; ultimately, the film is emotionally satisfying. It's offered in a first-rate two-disc set that sports a very fine transfer and generous supplements. It may be worth your consideration. |
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