Rating: 
Summary: Drama, Action, and Even Some Magic
Review: I enjoyed "The Missing" more than the reviews led me to believe I would. There are plenty of exciting scenes and just a couple that are quite gruesome (and earned it the R rating). It is a story in the Old West with loners, Indians of various tribes, a couple of Mexicans, and even some magic. (Personally, I think the magic was used to point up the primitive nature of the medicine Cate Blanchette's character uses as a "Healer".)Jenna Boyd is superb as the little girl, Dot. She nearly dominates every scene she is in and you miss her when she isn't there. Tommy Lee Jones does a good job as the ne'er do well father, Samuel Jones, who returns as an "Indian" so that he and Maggie Gilkeson (Blanchette) can slowly overcome a lifetime of abandonmnet and antipathy. Evan Rachel Wood does a very good job as Lily. It is not any fault of hers that Lily has some real complications that are left unresolved. Something more should have been done with them than simply ending the movie. The villain is a very evil character who is quite powerful physically, charismatically, and with magic. I would like to have learned more about his origins and motivations. But maybe knowing more about him would run the risk of making him sympathetic. But it is almost impossible to imagine how such an awful creature could become an object of sympathy. This movie is at times gut wrenching with some very emotional performances.
Rating: 
Summary: One Hour Too Long
Review: Decent idea gone awry. Silly dialogue, mediocre direction, horrible editing. In a better director's hands this might have been an interesting film. Not all is bad though. Two stars for the horses. Consider yourself warned; it's 2 1/2 hours you won't recover.
Rating: 
Summary: A tense and ultimately tender tale from the Old West
Review: With an interesting twist on Wild West stories Director Ron Howard once again demonstrates his sensitivity to parental/filial relationships. THE MISSING is an excellent example of how a fairly simple story can become a message of epic proportions when writer, director, actors, and cinematographer are in synchrony. Maggie (played with subdued intensity by the always fine Cate Blanchett) is a "healer" (a non-licensed 'physician') who lives with her two daughters and a hired hand (Aaron Eckhart) in an Indian territory troubled by the capturing of young women and girls by the Indians and loathsome white types for the purpose of selling them in the white slavery market below the border. Along comes an older man Sam (Tommy Lee Jones) who appears Indian but in fact is Maggie's absentee father. Maggie's life since her father's abandonment of her mother and her when she was very young has been difficult and she has little feeling except hate for the father she never knew. The initial encounter between the two is a fully realized replay of years of emotion that is transmitted to the audience primarily through the power of the eyes in the quality acting of Blanchette and Jones. When Maggie's older daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) is abducted by the white slavery gang, Maggie has no recourse but to rely on her 'Indian' father to aid her in regaining her daughter. The remainder of the film is an extended chase that contrasts the spiritual aspect of the Indian beliefs with the Christian ethic of Maggie. The level of suspense runs consistently high but Howard allows this intensified emotional plane to be the playing field for the gradual acceptance by Maggie that her father is at heart a loner but capable of love. The beauty of the reconciliation is subtly drawn and never artificial. The cast is uniformly excellent: for once the Indians are humanely portrayed, the children (especially Jenna Boyd as Maggie's younger daughter) are credible, and the 'brujo' witchdoctor Indian is evil incarnate. The West has rarely been visualized so realistically. This is a fine film and transfers to DVD well. The additional disc is run of the mill snippets that diminish the power of the story - and viewing it is recommended only after the impact of this fine story has settled in.
Rating:
Summary: A Gritty Western With a Solid Story
Review: When I first saw this film, I was blown away by it. Overrall it was a great film:Great performances, Great directing and a great story. Though the first 30 minutes are rather slow, once the film picks up, it is a splendor. Cate Blanchett pulls off yet another great performance as a fronteir medicine woman desperate to rescue her daughter and go through all means to. Tommy Lee Jones delivers yet another flawless performance as a father who abandoned his family and converted to the Apache Indian's culture and religion and come back long after to his daughter for forgiveness.The performance I liked particularly was the role of the girl, Dot. I cant recall the girl's name who played her but she gave a powerful supporting performance. The only thing that really displeased me about the film was the negative reviews toward it. I dont understand why there was so many who didnt like this film, but oh well. can't please everyone. All in all, this film is worth a rent and even worth a buy, though I'd recommend seeing it before buying it. I saw this in theaters and bought it the day after it came out on dvd. I can't really say that if your Western fan that this is for you, but I cant say that if your not that it is either, so just see it for yourself and be the one to judge.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Idea, Atrocious Presentation. A Major Disappointment.
Review: 2003 saw the return of a very underappreciated genre: the Western. It wasn't as monumental a return as in 1985 with SILVERADO, but it was significant enough. Neither of these new films achieved greatness; but while OPEN RANGE came pretty darn close, THE MISSING did not. In fact, it just plain sucks. Seriously, the film has no redeeming qualities. Tommy Lee Jones was given an interesting character to play, and he does pretty well at it. The role just doesn't give him anything to do. Same situation with Cate Blanchett. The child actors were decent enough, and the supporting cast was interesting (including Aaron Eckhart and Val Kilmer). But again, no one was given anything to do. What THE MISSING needed was a better script. The dialogue is pretty bad, the situations silly, and the characters not fleshed out enough. This especially goes for the "witch." He just isn't given any explanation whatsoever. If he had just been given more depth and better dialogue, he could've been a truly memorable villain. Instead, he's a terrible badguy and instantly forgettable. The whole movie was just so predictable! My dad and I literally sat there telling each other what would happen next, and what do you know, we were always right. The lousy ending didn't help things, and by the time the end credits rolled around, I was was just like, "What the ---?!" I was equally disappointed with James Horner's music; this is easily one of his blandest scores, and that's saying a lot. I can understand why Ron Howard wanted to get away from his stereotypical reputation, and I think it's admirable of him to do so and go in a different direction. However, he tried too hard with THE MISSING, filling it with loads of totally unecessary violence and gore. It's a shame he settled for this filth, especially after scoring such a big hit with A BEAUTIFUL MIND. In short, THE MISSING is without a doubt Ron Howard's worst film, and one of the worst films of 2003. A pitiful excuse for the western genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Uninspired but competent variation on a well-worn story
Review: Ron Howard's THE MISSING presents Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett in a Western abduction story so utterly conventional that it could have been written by a computer. Imagine (if you dare) John Ford's THE SEARCHERS spliced together with TV's "Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman." The only thing lifting it out of the abyss of such mediocrity is an astonishing performance by Eric Schweig. Previously admired for his performance as Uncas in Michael Mann's THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, Schweig here plays the Apache sorcerer whose kidnappings set the plot in motion. As the brujo, Chidin, he seems like an irresistable force of nature, unpredictable as a tornado and overwhelming as a tidal wave. Schweig's performance is in the same class as Anthony Hopkins's portrayal of Hannibal Lector: equally powerful and chilling, and maybe even more convincing. Val Kilmer in a brief cameo and Jenna Boyd as young Dot also give good performances, and it's even more fun than usual to watch Jones's schtick, but decent--even extraordinary--performances are not enough to overcome a hackneyed script and workmanlike but uninspired direction. Three stars.
Rating:
Summary: takis from Germany?
Review: It is obvious from your comments that you are unable to appreciate a good story without getting caught up in a PC wash. No, not all native Americans are depicted here as brutal savages, but good and evil can be found in every story of humanity. THAT IS AN HISTORICAL FACT. Coming from Germany, you should know this. Deal with it. This story of the struggle of a mother to save her captive daughter from a life of torment is powerful enough. Not to mention the effort by a father seeking to reconcile his past by being there when his daughter and granddaughter needed him the most. I thought the native American witch was an original twist. Not all Shamans are pure and healing in the use of their powers. And this was one aspect of the film that I enjoyed, the spiritual battle that was taking place. This film is not the greatest story ever told but is a good one. One that I believe contributes to the returning greatness of Western films. Hollywood, keep searching. The western is an ocean yet to be told.
Rating:
Summary: Keep Watching, It Gets Better
Review: The first minutes of this film were kind of tedious to me. The overacting was a bit too much (especially from the youngest daughter). However, soon I was hooked. Generally movies tend to start out strong and weaken. This started out weak and gathered strength. Despite the overacting, I also don't think the slang or accents were appropriate for the time period. Tommy Lee Jones gives a wonderful performance as a "pretend" Indian. I am suprised there is not a backlash against this film over stereotyping.
The photography and costumes were exceptional. Although the editing seemed a bit choppy. The voice dubbing was off as well. Despite all this it still entertained me and reminded me of the old-fashioned movies that didn't depend on special effects.
Thoroughly entertaining, thank you Mr. Howard.
Rating:
Summary: well... it could have been worse i guess...
Review: i just rented this film and while i suppose it could have been worse, i'm truly glad i didn't spend money buying it. i'm sure i probably rented it because tommy lee jones is in it and i really like him, cate blanchett is also an actress i rent based on her past work. but this film was just lifeless for the most part. first, the worst: the "bad" indians are so terribly stereotypical you could tell at a glance that they would be the main protagonists. because, of course, only bad guys look unkempt and scraggly. and while i can understand that the idea that one indian and seven white girls could have likely been sold for a bit of money, they behave as if they're getting enough money to retire on. seemed a touch overdone. the bad: there was not a single moment that i doubted the ending. they free the girls and tommy lee jones' character dies. you can see it from the first moment he rides on to screen, he'll be dead by the end of the film. and after lilly is kidnapped, you just know that this film is going to end in their rescue. the confusing: perhaps it's just me or maybe they were trying to emphasize what a survivor cate blanchett's character was, but she just didn't look old enough to have daughters that old. it was weird when she was with them and i was wondering if they were, perhaps, supposed to be sisters... the good: cate blanchett does a good job in her role (such as it is). she does seem believable as a tough frontier woman, raising kids and tending to the ill. the little girl who plays dot was excellent, perhaps the best part of the film. tommy lee jones is good as ever, but not stellar this time. he has moments but i didn't care for him much in this role (and didn't get weepy when his character died). overall: this film was okay and nothing more. the back of the dvd said that the main protagonist was a shapeshifter but that just wasn't so, he was simply an unwashed barbarian. i'm sure they could have done a better job than that to give us a frightening villain (with any sort of reasoning behind his deeds). there are parts that smack of racism and parts that leave you wondering if the writers ever cracked a history book. i'd strongly advise renting it to see if it's to your tastes.
Rating:
Summary: The Missing
Review: This is one of the better movies in its class of this time. It takes you back to a time when the land was being settled and lets you feel what emotins the women felt like then.(not any different than we would feel today if put in the same circumstance) It is very interesting from beginning to end, and leaves you wanting more of this time frame. Tommy Lee Jones was perfect for this part, along with the other actors. I would like to see more of this type of movies avaible instead of some of the things directors are producing. We have all read about the past but to watch it makes it all come together. It really makes you appreciate what other have put up with to let us have what we all take advantage of now.
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