Rating: 
Summary: Strong on action, but anachronistic
Review: This Western deserves some high marks for entertainment value, despite the fact that it is quite anachronistic in resembling John Ford's "The Searchers" from the 1950's perhaps too closely down to the kidnapped homesteaders' daughters,bound and gagged in a cave.(In "The Searchers" they were shown to have been driven insane by living among the Indians) Almost by definition, it has a racist attitude towards the Indians, but by the 1960's most Americans came view the American Indian as a social problem that had been the victim of racial injustice. El Brujo (this movie's "Scar") actually resembles the real-life Geronimo, and is every white homesteading girl's worst nightmare. Overall I give "Open Range" higher marks because it has better character development and romance, too. In "Open Range" the characters find reasons they must unwillingly use violence, whereas in "The Missing" an eye for an eye is the only response considered.
BR> Kate Blanchett gives an excellent performance as a strong-willed homesteader out to recapture her kidnapped daughter, and with extremely negative feelings towards her own father due to his past infidelities or betrayals. Scene after scene resembles "The Searchers", as when Maggie discovers the dead body after the kidnapping raid.Jones as Maggie's father gives a dynamic performance perhaps most notably when he mumbles his witchcraft mumbo-jumbo, which he learned while living among Indians, over the feverish Maggie or when he tries to escape from the cavalry's gunshots. Both of Maggie's daughters are sympathetically portrayed, and there are some nice human touches and flourishes throughout, but the Indians are in general treated as sub-human.
Rating: 
Summary: I was hoping for more
Review: But it never came for me, and I like westerns big-time.It is 4 stars because of the realism that this motion picture portrays-and for the realism that it lacks. The "good guys" show much realism in how they go about their job and present themselves on the screen- but as I look at the "bad guys," it leaves me to contemplate what the heck Hollywood is doing here. Still, it is worth seeing, especially for those western fans out there. However, Tommy Lee Jones' fans may be more disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Atypical but Good Western
Review: If you're looking for a John Wayne style Western, MISSING isn't it. It is good, however.
Maggie (Cate Blanchett) is a widow who is both a healer and runs a ranch in the Arizona Territory of 1885. She has two daughters. Her estranged father (Tommy Lee Jones) shows up one day to make amends. After abandoning his white family, he has been living with the Apache and has gone native. At the same time, a gang of slavers, lead by an evil Native American brujo (witch) slaughter Maggie's ranch hands and kidnap her eldest daughter. Maggie's father volunteers to go buy the girl back. Problems ensue. That's the essential set up.
The theme of this movie is understanding. Maggie must come to understand and forgive her father. She and her girls must come to understand the Native American culture that surrounds them. Their survival depends on it.
There was an exceptional cast in this movie from the principals to the secondary characters. The photography of the beautiful West was wonderful and haunting. I loved the multi-cultural aspect of the film. Three languages were spoken: Apache, Spanish and English. In addition, the Native American religion and magic were explored slightly.
All in all, I really enjoyed the experience. If you're looking for strong characters in an action adventure, you'll enjoy it also.
Rating:
Summary: Good theme and good acting. Too bad the plot was weak.
Review: This 2003 film is quite ambitious. Set in New Mexico in 1885, it tells the story of some bad Indians who kidnapped young women and sold them as virtual slaves in Mexico. I have never heard of this practice before and wonder whether it is historically correct, but is certainly is a good theme for a film. But that is just the background story. The real story is about the relationship between a father, Tommy Lee Jones, and his adult daughter, Cate Blanchett. The father had deserted his family many years before and went off to live with the Indians. The daughter hates him for it. However, when her own teenage daughter, Evan Rachel Wood, is kidnapped, the only hope she has of getting her daughter back is to depend on her father. As they search for the missing daughter, they have to confront the reality of their relationship. Directed by Ron Howard, this is a big budget film and the actors are some of the best working in Hollywood today. To me, however, 10-year-old Jeanna Boyd, who is cast as the younger sister of the kidnapped teenager, did the very finest acting job. It's a big role for a little girl and calls for her to witness some horrible acts of violence, be absolutely terrified, and yet be very brave. My heart went out to her completely and I am sure this is just the beginning of a long and successful career for her. The weakness of the film was the plot. It was just a little too predictable and far-fetched. Somewhere along the line I stopped caring about the human story and got too caught up in the plot twists, which tried to make the film politically correct. It did hold my interest, however, because it was fast paced and well directed, but it just didn't have what I consider "heart".
Rating:
Summary: A thrilling ride through the rugged Old West.
Review: Hang on to your holsters, because in "The Missing" director Ron Howard brings you a thrill like no other. Set in the uncharted territory in New Mexico, the film is about a young pioneer mother of two (played by Cate Blanchett who should've had a least an Oscat nomination) Blanchett's father in the film is played by the brilliant Tommy Lee Jones. The movie starts out typical and then it gets interesting. I applaud the little girl who played the youngest daughter of Blanchett. Also I must say the villain of the film is very terrifying and very very gruesome. See this if you love great sweeping western landscapes, and definately see this film if you love thrillers. One of 2003's best.
Rating: 
Summary: "Take me home"
Review: I enjoyed this movie very much. The story line was very interesting and made me feel for the family, especially Tommy Lee Jones' character who didn't play a superhero here yet a father who made some mistakes in the past. Great acting all around! The backdrop is visually very beautiful, refreshing change from so many films shot on sets and/or in studios. Great directing job by Ron Howard. The movie had an authentic feel for me, meaning from the period it's portraying. This is a 2 disc set and the "special features" disc is loaded w/ extra film content including deleted scences, out-takes, featurettes, tons of pictures, and alternate endings. Great story, a must see. Highly Recommended
Rating: 
Summary: missing missed
Review: Having had high hopes and expectations for this movie, I was sadly disapointed when an outstanding director and cast joins a story line that sounded quite good and it combines to be below average. It isn't 2 hours of my life that I won't get back, but it didn't match its ingredients.
Rating: 
Summary: Whole Movie Taken From The Cliche' PlayBook!
Review: I rented this movie today and was not able to finish it. I got to the part where Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett and the daughter rode into the deep canyon at night and it was raining and I knew, you guessed it! They were gonna get caught in a FLOOD! Wow! That's a new one! This was just another of writer cliches': Get your characters up a tree and throw stones at them, but in this movie, it was the usual Old West dangers they ran into like clockwork: Get in trouble, down time at camp,get in trouble again the next day. I knew where it was going and why spend more than 2 hours travelling over an old road. Ron Howard is picking stinkers lately and he is especially not good with westerns (can you all remember "Far and Away"?) Unfortunately so can I. But i'm not putting him down at all. When he's good, he's very, very good- absolutely loved "Apollo 13" and "A Beautiful Mind". I see big failure with his next movie about a 1930's boxer. Have NO interest to see that even though Russell Crowe will be in it. Since everyone else has told you the plot, I won't bother. It's depressing, Tommy Lee Jones PHONED in his performance and the relationships involved were only there to move the very predictable plot along exactly where we knew it would go. YAWN.....!
Rating:
Summary: TOMMY LEE JUST KEEPS GOING!
Review: Tommy Lee keeps up his great acting - in keeping with the time period. He had a great villian to track down. There was enough shock and gore for most normal people. Again in keeping with the barbarism of the times. Wonderful color and scenes to place us in those times.
GREATLY RECOMMENDED especially for Tommy Lee fans.
Rating:
Summary: Okay Western, Could Be Better
Review: In The Missing, Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett plays two people living in the dangerous west of 1885. The story is set amoung far stretching landscape and luminous dark settings. Tommy Lee Jones portrays a father who has returned to his daughter (Cate Blanchett) and his two granddaughters, only to be met with hate and resentment. The story is revealed when the eldest granddaughter is kidnapped and the two men that helped Cate Blanchett take care of the farm are brutally murdered. The chase insues shortly afterwards once she realized it is not her father to blame for the kidnapping and killings. She also discovers she will have to put her own life and her children's lives in the hands of a father who was never there. The story moves along slow but at a steady pace, not leaving the audience behind. It doesn't have anything spectacular in it that makes you want to rewind it, but some scenes are interesting to watch. Overall, it was an okay film. If you enjoy westerns, this might be up to par. It all depends on what you expect as a viewer. Joy.
| 
