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The Missing Person (2009 movie)

0 stars

I just don’t get it. I quite like ‘Noir’ movies, but this wasn’t one of them. I’m not quite sure what it was, but it failed on screenplay, acting, direction, plot or on any level of interest.

A movie has to reach out and grab me in the first five minutes. This one didn’t and although I’d usually switch it off when it’s a DVD or a download and not waste my life, other reviews had said it was good and worth watching, so I persisted. Why, I now don’t know? Even as a book, I’d have returned it to the library because it wouldn’t be worth owning.

So what’s it all about?

John Rosow, a private detective has been hired to tail a man, Harold Fullmer, on a train from Chicago to Los Angeles. Persuaded by a large reward, Rosow uncovers Harold’s mysterious identity and is charged with bringing him back to his wife in New York City against his will. Ultimately Rosow must confront whether the decision to return Harold is truly the right one.

Firstly, I’m not an actor, but I’m sure we could have expected a lot more from this cast. Apart from Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan (why did she agree to appear in this?) they all appeared out of sorts. Perhaps they couldn’t understand the screenplay either.

The screenplay doesn’t make a lot on sense. There are so many plot holes that a sieve would be better protected against soup. The words meander all over the place with people’s actions not making much common sense and the ending so shallow it’s almost comprehensible, but not quite. So many important issues are not explained that we wondered why throughout the movie. The main why, was, why did we persist in staying in watching it.

The film is written and directed by Noah Buschel, a name I’m sure to avoid in the future. Mind you, this is only my opinion and if lots of people enjoyed this, then so be it. We’re all entitled to our opinion. I believe my thoughts are quite clear having been totally confused!

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