LAPD officer Joe Baylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) works the night shift at a 911 call center while awaiting a court hearing for an incident that occurred while he was on duty months ago.
Despite the city of Los Angeles currently burning to the ground, the asthmatic police feel bored and indifferent with taking in calls after calls of absurd requests.
Until he receives a call from Emily Lighton (Riley Keough), who informs him that she has been kidnapped. Joe is drawn to the case for some reason, but the problem is that the details of her captor, their car, and their destination are unknown. And with the raging fire, there aren't enough people to find them.
Joe is well aware that there is not enough time. So, even though it's wrong, he tries to pull some strings in order to help the woman.
I usually like action movies without really showing all the violence that transpires on screen. There is a vacuum and in that empty space there can exist a lot of stories, questions and emotions. It makes the whole narrative compelling.
“The Guilty” is one of those films that fills the void with sounds as a way to convey violence. And that is pretty genius. It encourages the viewer’s imagination to run wild.
Gyllenhaal’s energy also fuels the emotion that we feel. He really commits to his role and his character of a man who wants to save himself and others. Keough, on the other hand, stands out as the voice that invites the viewers to the chaos of it all.
Everything works for Fuqua in this film. The technical. The actors. The pace. Even if it is a remake of a popular Danish film, it looks so original.
But there is a problem. For some reason, it is trying so hard for the viewers to sympathize with Joe that it becomes distasteful.
Joe committed a really terrible crime by using his authority as a police officer and up until that point, he had no plans to atone for it. He has issues and he even plans to lie in court to save himself. And the film expects that after one good deed, people would feel compassion towards him. No one feels for a bad cop.
The writers could’ve done something better, especially with that very awkward ending. Emily and Joe are not the same and to frame them as broken people is an understatement. Emily is a victim of an anti-poor system, whereas Joe is an outright criminal. It is wrong to compare or draw a connection between their situation.
“The Guilty” could’ve been Netflix’s latest hit, ticking all boxes needed in creating a well-made movie. However, with an insensitive premise like that, it is so hard to put it in high regard.
2/5
