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The Missing

The Missing

Thriller · Western · Adventure · 2003

When rancher and single mother of two Maggie Gilkeson sees her teenage daughter, Lily, kidnapped by Apache rebels, she reluctantly accepts the help of her estranged father, Samuel, in tracking down the kidnappers. Along the way, the two must learn to reconcile the past and work together if they are going to have any hope of getting Lily back before she is taken over the border and forced to become a prostitute.

Movie details

The Missing

“How far would you go, how much would you sacrifice to get back what you have lost?”

2003 Thriller · Western · Adventure 2h 15m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

When rancher and single mother of two Maggie Gilkeson sees her teenage daughter, Lily, kidnapped by Apache rebels, she reluctantly accepts the help of her estranged father, Samuel, in tracking down the kidnappers. Along the way, the two must learn to reconcile the past and work together if they are going to have any hope of getting Lily back before she is taken over the border and forced to become a prostitute.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Missing?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Ron Howard

Written by

Ken Kaufman

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett

Maggie Gilkeson

Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones

Samuel Jones

Evan Rachel Wood

Evan Rachel Wood

Lilly Gilkeson

Jenna Boyd

Jenna Boyd

Dot Gilkeson

Aaron Eckhart

Aaron Eckhart

Brake Baldwin

Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer

Lt. Jim Ducharme

Eric Schweig

Eric Schweig

Pesh-Chidin / El Brujo

Court is in session

Put The Missing on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.