The Missing (2003): Dir: Ron Howard / Cast: Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Evan Rachel Wood, Val Kilmer: Not one of Ron Howard's stronger films and it owes nearly everything to the superior John Ford classic The Searchers. It is detailed in structure but recycled in plot. It also contains one of those justified violent outcomes that should be beyond Howard whose work includes such masterpieces as A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13. Set in old western times, Cate Blanchett plays a widowed mother of two daughters who is known for her healing power through surgery. Tommy Lee Jones plays her Indian father whom she hates because he abandoned them. Central plot regards the kidnapping of the oldest daughter by Indians to sell as slaves. Blanchett is forced to reunite with her father to track them down thus leading to a predictable violent climax. Fine performances by Blanchett and Jones who rise above the obvious conventions but supporting roles are lacking. Evan Rachel Wood as the kidnapped daughter makes escape attempts but otherwise is a useless role. Aaron Eckhart appears briefly as the ill fated man Blanchett lives with. Even Val Kilmer makes an appearance and it cannot even help his career get back on track. The film feels too much like a remake with its hooky spiritual elements that should entirely go missing. Score: 5 / 10

Very nice, also fairly realistic in my opinion too. Apache renegades are murdering men, old and older women and kidnapping young girls/women to sell down in Mexico. Of course they screw up and capture the wrong girl when they take Lilly. Tommy Lee Jones just happens to show up right before the attacks. He is a white man who has lived extensively with the Chiricahua Apache, even marrying an Apache woman. His daughter, now a healer, hates him for having left his white family many years ago. She must turn to him though when the renegades kill her lover and another hand and take Lilly. By the way the hanging scene of the lover wrapped in raw cowhide was actually used by the Apache. As it dries out rawhide contracts leading to a slow, agonizing death. Fortuitous happen stance occurs when they run across a Chirichua known to Tommy, while on the trail of the kidnappers. They join forces to go after the bad guys. Trying to free the captives, Kayitah, the one TL knows gets killed because Lilly screams out. The leader, a supposed witch, rides off to get the buyers and returns to find the camp has been attacked again by TL, the mom, the youngest daughter and the dead Apache's son. This time successfully. They have rescued the girls and get away, for a time. Going to ground in a rocky tor. The witch and his few remaining thugs of course locate them and in the attack all is resolved as several are killed, TL tackles the witch man and takes him over a cliff to both their deaths as it turns out. In the end the mom and both daughters are saved, the Apache son is reunited with his bride who was a taken one, and I guess they all live happily ever after (?).

The first thing I look for in Native films like these is how accurate they are. What I mean by that is how well do the actors portraying as the Native characters come across to the viewer. Ever since 1990's 'Dances with Wolves', Native films have really come a long way in that non-Natives have gotten to know how Natives ARE SUPPOSED TO BE portrayed in films and NOT as savage, ruthless heathens! That kind of ancient mentality has to go! Eric Schweig was awesome in this film. But he's great in any film since he has the natural ability to portray himself as either a hero or a villain. Anyways.. this one earns an 8 out of 10 in my books.

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to see The Missing, after hearing so many negative things about it. That said, part of me knew I should see it because the cast were of such high calibre. After finally watching The Missing, I actually thought it was a good movie with a great cast. I can see why some may dislike it, while the story has a great idea and is very gripping the changes in focus(western, than mystery thriller then a mystical theme introduced) become all too frequent and convoluted. The ending seemed rather tired and stretched too, while the last thirty minutes or so weren't as interesting as the rest of the film. However, it is a visually captivating movie, very well photographed and striking in the scenery. The music score is also powerful and the script is generally good and the mysticism was interesting to watch and had an intriguing angle to it. The cast are great, Cate Blanchett gives meat to her character and gives another strong account of herself, and Tommy Lee Jones looks the part and is suitably commanding. Of the support cast, although Evan Rachel Wood is good, Eric Schwieg's genuinely frightening villain gets top honours here. Overall, a great cast but for me the movie was just good, several impressive things but some area for improvement too. 7/10 Bethany Cox