The Guilty Movie Review

The Guilty (2021)

Watch The Guilty on Netflix
Written by: Nic Pizzolatto (screenplay by), Gustav Möller & Emil Nygaard Albertsen  (based on the motion picture "Den Skyldige" written by)
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Riley Keough (voice), Peter Sarsgaard (voice), Paul Dano, David Castañeda
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A demoted police officer assigned to a call dispatch desk is conflicted when he receives an emergency phone call from a kidnapped woman.

Verdict
I give this credit for remaining mostly entertaining while primarily taking place in one room. It does a great job of painting an image in your mind as the script unfolds over the phone. It includes a couple of twists that keep the last third lively. Gyllenhaal of course does a great job with a performance that makes more sense once we get to the big reveal about his character.
It depends.

Review
Fuqua and Pizzolatto previously paired up on the uneven and forgettable The Magnificent Seven remake. This script is based on a 2018 Danish movie. Pizzolatto also wrote True Detective. Season one was great, while season two felt a bit try hard, as if he needed an editor and got a bit cocky. While the writer gives me pause, Gyllenhaal always delivers a solid performance. Fuqua previously directed Gyllenhaal in Southpaw.

This does a nice job of building the character of Joe (Jake Gyllenhaal) just through taking a few phone calls. He frustrated at being on administrative leave and wants to be back on active duty. He's taking that frustration out on everyone else. He's there a short time and not there to make friends.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Joe Baylor.

The story is intense. While it's just a phone call, I was completely invested. I could easily imagine the people and events unfolding. I began to wonder if Joe was invested in the case because he wants to serve or as a means to make amends for whatever got him on desk duty. I wondered how much leeway someone on dispatch would have. He freely leaves his desk and sets up somewhere else while treating everyone else poorly. I don't believe he'd get away with as much as he does.

This teases what got Joe on dispatch duty, leading to him finally admitting it to keep someone on the phone and resolve the crime. It's a moment of duress and he felt compelled to reveal his side of what happened. We've been rooting for Joe the entire movie, and this reveal is a strange feeling as it changes how we perceive Joe. I don't know what the movie is trying to say other than people are complex. You can't judge them on just one event. This takes that to the extreme.