Directed by Ron Howard (Backdraft, Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind,…)
Starring Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett
It’s ironic that the tagline for this film is “How far would you go, how much would you sacrifice to get back what you have lost?”
And this film answers the question, “How far will Ron Howard go?”
Ron isn’t new to Hollywood. Opie Taylor on the “Andy Griffith Show” in the 60’s, Richie Cunningham on “Happy Day’s” in the 70’s . . . and that’s not all. He played one of the lead roles in American Graffiti directed by George Lucas. He performed alongside John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Lauren Bacall in “The Shootist.” Done? Not yet, we haven’t even touched his directing portfolio—films like “Splash,” “Cocoon,” “Willow,” “Parenthood,” “Backdraft,” “Apollo 13,” and “A Beautiful Mind,” to name a few.
There’s no doubt that Ron knows film. But does Ron know how far to go? Are his years in Hollywood numbing him to boundaries?
What do I mean?
The Missing is a remake of the 1956 John Wayne Film The Searchers. Both films feature the lead male role (John Wayne in 1956, Tommy Lee Jones in 2003) searching for missing children (his two nieces in 1956, his granddaughter in 2003) who were kidnapped by a group of Indians. Comparing the two films, the overwhelming question I’d like to ask is, “What have we become in the last 50 years?”
Let me start by going back to the 1956 John Wayne Film. Wayne’s character, Ethan Edwards, is joined by a group of others in the pursuit of some raiding Indians. After traveling for a day, the group realizes that the Indians might have doubled back to attack the defenseless woman and children at home. The group comes home to a burning house, several dead and the two young girls missing. In one scene we see John Wayne go to the door of a shed and look inside only to quickly turn away horrified at what he saw, apparently one of the dead bodies. The 1956 director leaves the horror to our imagination.
So Ethan and two other men set off after the Indians again, hoping and praying that the two captured girls, Lucy and Debbie, are still alive. In one scene Ethan goes off by himself following a trail and comes back without his jacket and a little disturbed by something. When questioned, he brushes it off and demands that they keep moving in search for the two girls. Later, one of Ethan’s companions, Lucy’s boyfriend Brad, sees the Indians off in the distance and comes back to report his findings to Ethan.
Brad: I saw Lucy alright. She was wearing that blue dress.
Ethan: What you saw wasn’t Lucy- what you saw was an Indian buck wearing Lucy’s dress. I found Lucy back in the canyon earlier. I wrapped her in my coat. Buried her with my own hands. I thought it best to keep it from you.
Brad: (noticeably upset) Did they . . . (not knowing how to ask) was she . . .
Ethan: (Yelling) What do you want me to do? Draw you a picture? Spell it out? Don’t ever ask me! As long as you live, don’t ever ask me more!
Now lets jump to 2003 and in our best John Wayne voice, ask Ron a similar question: “What did ya want to do, draw us a picture? Spell it all out?” Because Howard does just that. He doesn’t leave anything to the imagination, he draws us the entire picture. He spells it all out.
Some might like this. They’ll say, “It’s real. It’s what life was probably like back then!” Well, if that’s what you like—dead babies, beheaded boyfriends gutted and hung, women being tortured, beaten and shot . . . I won’t go on. Check out www.screenit.com for all the details.
So was it a good film? I can say this: performances were strong, it was well shot and it was very suspenseful. But I didn’t enjoy it. And I don’t gross out easily (not that that’s something to brag about.)
I only wonder what films will look like in 2056?
Side Note:
We don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
