The Hollywood debut of Greek director Costa-Gavras caused quite a stir when it was released in 1982. Based on a true story, Missing is a damning condemnation of U.S. foreign policy, criticising their efforts to locate missing American citizen Charles Horman (John Shea) when he goes missing in 1973 Chile, as well as suggesting their direct involvement. The country had just experienced a military coup, and the new leaders have declared martial law, placing a curfew on the population under threat of death. The sound of machine-gun fire is commonplace, as are military raids on homes and the disappearance of thousands of citizens. Worst of all, bodies litter the streets, watched over by dead-eyed soldiers who seem to do as they please. Charles, a left-wing writer, has simply vanished, sucked up into a system of brutality. And nobody seems eager to find him.We're with Charles for a long period before his disappearance, and Costa-Gavras keeps us just as much in the dark as his wife Beth (Sissy Spacek) and father Ed (Jack Lemmon), the latter arriving frustrated with the little progress his daughter-in-law has made. Their ideologies clash almost immediately. Beth is very much on board with her husband's politics, while Ed is a devout Christian scientist with complete trust in his country's Embassy's desire to locate a fellow citizen. The performances are genuine and heartfelt. The characters themselves are recognisable and relatable in an otherwise terrifyingly alien, oppressive world, which serves as a wake-up call to Ed, who would otherwise be eating breakfast at home oblivious to the plight of Chile's people. The most powerful moments of Missing involve Ed battling his way through waves of bureaucracy and the empty promises of diplomats.Costa-Gavras manages to build an atmosphere of relentless tension in a place where failing to find yourself a taxi to make it home in time for the curfew could see you dragged away for execution. Yet this is built around Ed and Beth's difficult relationship, and the film emerges and ultimately triumphs as a thoroughly engaging character study rather than a political thriller. Tiny, throwaway moments hammer their struggle and mental anguish home, particularly a moment where Ed descends a set of stairs and, without realising it, starts to ascend the one opposite. It takes a moment before he realises, shakes his head, and turns around, and you really feel for the guy. Costa-Gavras deliberately infuses Missing with a sense of timelessness, failing to confirm the story's year and location, introducing the idea that this could be happening anywhere, at any time. Coups and dictators come and go, and the people suffer for it. Those who choose to ignore it may eventually become the cause.

All us understood what really happened in Chile because this kind of coup blow up here in Brazil in 1964 and Argentina as well,the Military took the power at coast of thousand lives in Chile,the butcher Pinochet after that rules the country with heavy hands stay free,and just was arrested in England...so sad to know that Americans supported this kind of butchery, Costa Graves made this movie in Mexico and rose up the happenings those bloody September....the mostly people whose are killed in underground at National Stadium were innocent people...tell the legend that is possible to hear their voices haunting that place!!!The movie still scream to loud even today!!Resume: First watch: 1988 / How many: 4 / Source: TV-Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 8.5

Paranoia can create a lot of harm. This film is not really about anti-establishment paranoia (as being mentioned in the movie) but about American Post-Bay-of-Pigs paranoia and its disastrous consequences. In order to prevent a second Cuba in the Americas all means were regarded as justified including the death of US citizens that happened to be on the wrong spot at the wrong time. A young American writer disappears shortly after the 1973 Pinochet military coup in Chile only because he has stuck his nose 'too' deep into the affairs of the US supported coup although these affairs are quite often presented to him in a fishbowl. The fact that he was writing articles for a liberal paper surely did not do him any favour either. His father and his wife start a search for him, constantly impeded and misdirected in their search by the officials, only to find out in the end that their worst presumptions have come true. The hypocrisy of the embassy members is really quite unbelievable. The movie atmosphere is quite oppressive with the Police being present on every corner of the city and with a curfew ruling out all nightly gatherings. It gives a good impression on how insane it must feel living under a totalitarian regime. The insanity is best demonstrated by a squad of police hunting a white stallion through the streets of Santiago. The contrast to the liberal atmosphere presented in the flashbacks from before the coup could not be any bigger. Besides this political dimension, the movie also covers really well how two fairly diverse people can slowly create a bondage in their common, almost Kafkaesque fight against the injustice around them. One can see how the understanding for the other's point of view is opening up during the movie. This of course is only possible for someone who is ready to sacrifice his own values under the pressure of the undeniable facts. Jack Lemmon as the father and Sissy Spacek as his stepdaughter are really doing an excellent job by showing this humanity in a world in collapse. Some comments in this block suggest that it is a bit sad that the movie does not reveal in detail what has really happened. I do not agree because the remaining uncertainty is just part of the deliberate political confusion and hence puts us in the shoes of the people involved. Overall, a political thriller well worth seeing that presents an interesting and awful historical event wrapped up in a true! story full of suspense.

In September1973, in Chile, the American journalist Charles Horman (John Shea) arrives in Santiago with his friend Terry Simon (Melanie Mayron) to meet his wife Beth (Sissy Spacek) and bring her back to New York with him. However, they are surprised by the military coup d'état sponsored by the US Government to replace President Salvador Allende and Charles is arrested by the military force. His father Ed Horman (Jack Lemmon), a conservative businessman from New York, arrives in Chile to seek out his missing son with Beth. He goes to the American Consulate to meet the Consul that promises the best efforts to find Charles while the skeptical Beth does not trust on the word of the American authorities. The nationalism and confidence of Ed in his government changes when he finds the truth about what happened with his beloved son. "Missing" is one of the most powerful and sharp films of the cinema history and a must-see for people of my generation, raised in military dictatorships in South America sponsored and trained by the US Government. After more than thirty years from the first time I saw it, "Missing" is still impressive, with top-notch performance of Jack Lemmon. The first work by Costa Gravas in the American cinema could not be better, exposing the hidden wounds about the participation of the American government in Chile bloodshed. Unfortunately and surprisingly this film has only been released on VHS many years ago in Brazil and I had to buy an imported DVD to change the media. My vote is ten. Title (Brazil): "Desaparecido" ("Missing")