Review by Mr. Will Wong
Having just premiered at TIFF ’21 to accolades, Antoine Fuqua‘s THE GUILTY is about to arrive in theatres and on the world’s most popular streaming service, Netflix.
Driven completely by a phenomenal performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, the 90-minute Thriller takes us a psychological journey as 911 Call Dispatcher Joe (Gyllenhaal) receives a troubling call from a woman appearing to be in distress. Using what limited information he is given, he is to put together the pieces to keep her out of harm’s way. This however, proves challenging as he’s unable to track her whereabouts. He also is coping with his own marriage falling apart, seeing his daughter, all while harbouring a deep, dark secret which can only come to light once he is able to confront it head-on.
The magic of THE GUILTY is how it forces its audience to use their imagination and really fill-in the missing blanks along with Joe. Things are just scarier when you can’t see them. Like him, we can only hear the trouble his callers are going through and rely on their narration which can be both be reliable and unreliable. That being said, Gyllenhaal is mesmerizing here really getting inside Joe‘s bothered mind in a way where we can’t help but think his outbursts of rage are being triggered by something out of view.
We admit we’ve never seen the original Danish film by Gustav Möller on which this American adaptation is based, but does it really matter? We hang onto Gyllenhaal‘s every expression and move, just as enthralled by his performance as he is in uncovering the truth about mystery Caller Emily Lighton (Riley Keough).
The fact that this polished Film was put together in such a short time during the thick of the Pandemic is in itself a feat. Be prepared for a suspenseful ride full of twists and turns. THE GUILTY arrives on Netflix October 1, 2021 and opens in these select theatres September 24, 2021:
Ontario
Ajax – Cineplex Odeon Ajax Cinemas
Barrie – Galaxy Cinemas Barrie
Guelph – Galaxy Cinemas Guelph
London – Hyland Cinema
Niagara Falls – Cineplex Odeon Niagara Square Cinemas
Oakville – Cineplex Cinemas Winston Churchill & VIP
Ottawa – Cineplex Odeon South Keys Cinemas
Ottawa – Landmark Cinemas Kanata
Peterborough – Galaxy Cinemas Peterborough
Thunder Bay – SilverCity Thunder Bay Cinemas
Toronto – Cineplex Cinemas Yonge-Dundas and VIP
Toronto – Cineplex Odeon Eglinton Town Centre Cinemas
Waterloo – Princess Cinemas
Whitby – Landmark Cinemas 24 Whitby
Windsor – SilverCity Windsor Cinemas
Quebec
Côte Saint-Luc – Dollar Cinema
Longueuil – Cinéma Guzzo
Montreal – Cinéma Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin
Montreal – Cinéma Guzzo
Montreal – Guzzo Movie Theater
Spheretech – Cinéma Guzzo
British Columbia
Kelowna – Landmark Cinemas Grand 10 Kelowna
Langley – Cineplex Cinemas Langley
Surrey – Landmark Cinemas Surrey, Guildford
Victoria – Capitol 6 Theatres
Alberta
Calgary – Scotiabank Theatre Chinook
Calgary – Landmark Cinemas Country Hills
Edmonton – Cineplex Odeon South Edmonton Cinemas
Nova Scotia
Halifax – Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane
Saskatchewan
Regina – Cineplex Cinemas Normanview
Saskatoon – Scotiabank Theatre Saskatoon and VIP
Winnipeg
McGillivray – Cineplex Odeon McGillivray Cinemas and VIP
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