2008 Woodie Awards
'Missing' examines varied beliefs
Review: 'Missing' examines varied beliefs
By: Cristian Vasquez
Issue date: 12/4/03 Section: The Arts
- Page 1 of 2 next >
With very few action scenes and dialogue that isn't too complicated, "The Missing" is one of those movies that is very deep in context but not too amusing to the eye.
A simple story line with various conflicts sprinkled throughout the film was enough to make this movie entertaining.
Tommy Lee Jones plays the role of a grandfather who returns after abandoning his family.
He finds himself on a quest to rescue his teenage granddaughter, who has been kidnapped by Chidin and his pack of ruthless Indians.
Cate Blanchett, who plays Maggie, the daughter of Jones in the film, has never forgiven her father for leaving her at a young age.
However, she finds herself having to deal with her present situation of finding her daughter with her father's help, while trying to put aside the anger toward him that she has kept inside for so long.
Spirituality plays a big role in the movie. Maggie is a devoted Christian while Jones, who spends many years with the Indians, has a different set of beliefs than his daughter, Maggie..
While Maggie prays with a Bible in her hand, Jones invokes the Indian gods for help and even conducts a ritual cleansing when he believes that a curse has been put upon his daughter.
After Maggie got better from the curse, her father and her just walk away believing in different reasons to why she was cured.
Later in the film, faith is put to the test again when those who kidnapped his granddaughter intended to leave Jones dead in the desert.
As Jones agonizes, a hawk stands in front of him and asks the hawk to take him to his family.
At the same time, Maggie is praying with the Bible in her hand that her father comes back safe with her daughter.
Jones makes it back and they both walk away from each other without saying anything and attributing their positive outcome to their respective faiths.
The film illustrates that people can move on despite their painful past without having to forgive. Maggie has never forgiven her father, but she learns to accept what life gave her and to move on to what's important.
A simple story line with various conflicts sprinkled throughout the film was enough to make this movie entertaining.
Tommy Lee Jones plays the role of a grandfather who returns after abandoning his family.
He finds himself on a quest to rescue his teenage granddaughter, who has been kidnapped by Chidin and his pack of ruthless Indians.
Cate Blanchett, who plays Maggie, the daughter of Jones in the film, has never forgiven her father for leaving her at a young age.
However, she finds herself having to deal with her present situation of finding her daughter with her father's help, while trying to put aside the anger toward him that she has kept inside for so long.
Spirituality plays a big role in the movie. Maggie is a devoted Christian while Jones, who spends many years with the Indians, has a different set of beliefs than his daughter, Maggie..
While Maggie prays with a Bible in her hand, Jones invokes the Indian gods for help and even conducts a ritual cleansing when he believes that a curse has been put upon his daughter.
After Maggie got better from the curse, her father and her just walk away believing in different reasons to why she was cured.
Later in the film, faith is put to the test again when those who kidnapped his granddaughter intended to leave Jones dead in the desert.
As Jones agonizes, a hawk stands in front of him and asks the hawk to take him to his family.
At the same time, Maggie is praying with the Bible in her hand that her father comes back safe with her daughter.
Jones makes it back and they both walk away from each other without saying anything and attributing their positive outcome to their respective faiths.
The film illustrates that people can move on despite their painful past without having to forgive. Maggie has never forgiven her father, but she learns to accept what life gave her and to move on to what's important.