Review by John Delia
Exciting and edge of your seat compelling, the movie The Guilty starring Jake Gyllenhaal is available Netflix. A “one man showâ€, the film takes the audience on an explosive heart pounding ride that keeps on going at a fast pace. Helmed by “Training Day†director Antoine Fuqua, he puts as much energy and tension here as he did for that film.
Starting his day in the emergency phone room of the LAPD, Officer Joe Baylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) is already under stress having to face a court date tomorrow morning. The news is carrying stories of the wild fires on the big screen in the room and most of the 911 calls are in reference to people being affected by the raging incendiary.
After fielding a number of 911 calls, he gets a call from Emily asking questions as if Joe were her daughter. Figuring she has been abducted and in a fast traveling van from the conversation, Joe gives her his full attention. Throughout several hours he tries to get the abductor tagged by area police, keeping Emily calm and Emily’s 6-year-old daughter Abby, who’s alone at her house, from being afraid.
Director Antoine Fuqua keeps his film exciting with Baylor being desperate for help from police on the road and permission to received help for eye in the sky officers. He adds some nice twists that you won’t see coming, keeping the predictability level at nearly nonexistent. He makes his story high energy and it’s perfect for a night where you need a boost of adrenaline.
A perfect choice for the character Officer Joe Baylor, Jake Gyllenhaal burns up the screen with his high energy emotions. Joe, a member of the LAPD for a long time, knows all the police lingo, has comrades on the force and knows most of the higher ups. Not, in the best of situations however, he’s been relegated to a 911 position pending a trial in a conduct case involving a crime. His performance here reminded me a lot of the impetuous character Louis Bloom in Nightcrawler.
The Guilty has been rated R by the MPAA for language throughout. Be aware that there are multiple uses of the “Fbombâ€. The film is now playing on Netflix.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, plus voice cast including, Riley Keough as Emily, Christina Montoya as Abby, Ethan Hawke and Peter Sarsgaard
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Replacement Killers, The Equalizer)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller, (Made in 2018 in the Danish language with a Danish Cast).
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout. Multiple uses of the “Fbombâ€
Running Time: 1 hr. 30 min.
Opening Date: October 1, 2021
Distributed by: Netflix
Released in: Streaming on Netflix