Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

The Guilty  (2021)

This film was a fantastic remake of the 2018 film of the same name. Now I do have a lot of issues of America remaking already great films that were done in other countries. For example Martin Scorsese did a remake of Internal Affairs but it was a remake tho that really matched the energy of the original and some thing surpassed the original that being said if your going to remake a film that’s already been done good or great even you got to bring a specific energy that will match it. Now this film is a a fantastic heart pounding on the edge of your seat dramatic thriller that will have you engaged the entire time. 

Firstly, I will say this film’s strengths come from the incredibly strong Lead performance given by the severally underrated Jake Gyllenhaal who once again gives his 100% commitment  into this performance as we’re spending the entire film with him at a desk on a phone with very few actors either then him that would be entertaining but in a general sense it wouldn’t really work with most because you gotta buy into his performance or else the film falls apart completely. Which leads me into my second point 

Secondly, The performance given by Jake Gyllenhaal is incredible he brings such a anxiety filled performance of emotional confusion that leaves him having to make some choices that will decide the fate of life and death for this woman on the phone and he makes it so captivating to watch unfold over the course of the film. Everyone else all gave great performances it’s hard to properly evaluate their performances since they were all over the phone but it’s the performance by Jake that steals the show. 

Lastly, The Guilty isn’t as good as the original but it’s still able to create and capture a tense atmosphere that will have you on the edge of your seat. Cemented with a strong leading performance by Jake Gyllenhaal it’s impossible to look away. It’s not one of the best films of the year but a film I definitely would love to go back and rewatch for sure. I recommended people check this film out it’s definitely worth it. 

This film centres around a 911 dispatcher that is thrust into a life or death situation when he finds out a woman had been abducted and must find a way to save her before it’s to late 

Rated R : Language Throughout

Jake Gyllenhaal : Jake Gyllenhaal gives a towering performance of amazing depth! Here he plays a 911 dispatcher who is tasked with trying to save a woman’s life who has been abducted and could be killed within minutes hours he dose not know. All he knows is that it’s a ticking clock and he has to act fast and Jake Gyllenhaal damn is he good here. Well to be fair he’s good in everything he’s done and to see him so incredibly compelling just by sitting in a chair and on a phone for a hour and a half is insane. As for most other actors this could of been really stilted and boring but Jake makes it so compelling to unfold. As he gets into the headspace of this character so naturally and you can see the paranoia and the stress eating at his brain if it’s about the intense call he has or his crumbling personal life. You can see In the beginning of the film the sheer attitude he as at work and how many people don’t talk to him for being kinda rude and then when he gets the call about the girl that had been abducted he goes on high alert. Because he has a daughter of his own and he will stop at nothing in order to make sure she’s okay and he stays at work well into the next morning. You see the weight on his shoulders get heavier and heavier as the plot progresses and you can see the bloodshot look in his eyes the sweat become more and more his speech fumbles as he is starting to loose hope he’ll find this woman. The film revels so many twist and turns as it goes on and Jake Gyllenhaal reaches deep down into his soul and goes to some very real places and he applies so much realism to his performance. When he speaks to this woman loosing hope that she’ll live he delivers his dialogue in such a powerful way that you are convinced he is believing every word he is saying as Jake goes from being cocky to serious to desperate and lastly acceptance. All of those stages are acted beautifully in such a raw emotional way that is gripping to watch and Gyllenhaal once again delivers another stellar performance that probably will get overlooked but it’s a gem of a performance I hope doesn’t go unnoticed. You literally see his emotional layers shed minute after minute and it’s incredible to see the amount of depth he brings to this performance a truly great leading performance by Gyllenhaal. 

Antoine Fuqua : Fuqua gives a outstanding directed film with the Guilty! The last time I saw a film of his was the sequel to the Equalizer which was a lot of fun I enjoyed that. Now we see him paired up with Jake Gyllenhaal for the second time around as he had previously worked with him last in southpaw. Here he makes a ticking bomb of a movie as it’s an hour and thirty minutes of pure anxiety filled stress that dose not let up for a moment. As the film all takes place at the 911 call centre we are just watching Jake Gyllenhaal for the entirety of this film on a phone. Theirs only very few films that have been able to make a compelling story in such a limited setting with one actor in it the only film that comes to mind is the criminally overlooked Tom Hardy film Loke which all took place inside a car. Now here we see the pressure of this worker having to calm down a woman who potentially may get killed all the while he has to find her and keep himself all their emotionally and Fuqua delivers a damn good time as it’s so stress inducing as it builds and builds until it explodes in a truly shocking final act you don’t see coming that pays off so well. He also gets a great committed performance by Gyllenhaal and delivers on the thrills and twist and turns in this nail biting suspenseful story that he leaves you on the edge of your seat with. Overall Fuqua delivers on all fronts with tone, getting a solid performance from his lead actor and just giving a damn good film.