THE GUILTY                            

US, 2021, 90 minutes, Colour.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Christine Vidal, voices of: Ethan Hawke, Peter Sarsgaard, Christiana Montoya, Riley Keogh, Paul Dano.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua.

The original, The Guilty, was Denmark’s official nomination for the 2018 Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film. It won many awards and was critically praised – and bloggers seem to be unanimous in their appreciation for the film. It has now been remade in the United States, accessible to audiences who are unable to or reluctant to read subtitles. This version has been directed by Antoine Fuqua, director of many action films as well as sports documentaries.

As often happens with American remakes of European films, there was general condemnation, that this version was unnecessary, that people should read subtitles, that this was exploitative of the original, that was not as good as the original. But, the issue is, that any film should be taken on its own merits without immediate comparisons with the original.

On paper, the film looks fairly straightforward, a police story, cases that they have to handle. At first, this is confirmed with a man ringing in complaining of being mugged – and it turning out that he had picked up a prostitute who mocked him. There is also a drunk who does not know where he is. In this way we are introduced to the 911 Emergency Service in Los Angeles, and the work of the man on duty, Joe.

Joe is played with extreme intensity by Jake Gill and heart of, the film focusing completely on him and his reactions, and string the phone, listening to the calls, becoming personally involved, the audience becoming more aware of his own angers and desperation, phone calls to his wife and wanting to his talk to his daughter even in the middle of the night.

In fact, the film is not quite as we expected at all. The action does not leave the Emergency Services rooms, concentrating completely on Jo, some interactions with the other members of the staff at the office, his communications by phone with other officials in order to get action going, some communication with a friend (which has serious repercussions by the end of the film). The phone call and his reactions become more and more frantic and emotional.

A number of commentators have been reminded of the film, Locke, with Tom Hardy, the action which takes place completely in a car as the central character drives. Then there is Buried, with Ryan Reynolds, the action taking place in a coffin which has been buried. Quite a challenge for a writer and director to keep audiences interested. But, The Guilty, certainly retains the interest.

The main part of the film, which is a comparatively short film, concerns a woman phoning in, gradually revealing that she has been abducted, is ringing the police but pretending to be talking to her young daughter. Joe keeps her on the phone, gets what information he can, communicates it  to other officers. He also uses his wits, finding the address of the abducted woman, phoning and talking to her little daughter, gaining more information about the father and the parents’ separation, his visit to the house, his violent outburst, the little girl caring about her little brother and concerned about her mother.

Without revealing any more of the plot, it can be said that there is quite a twist in this episode, audiences asking themselves how they responded to the interrogations, the evidence, the behaviour of the mother, the behaviour of the father, the repercussions on the little girl, especially when Joe is able to advise police to go to the house.

This development makes the film more involving for the audience, interested in how Asger is handling the situation, the relative behaviours of the mother and the father.

Throughout the film, Joe has been phoning a friend who is to give testimony the next day in a court case – the friend has testified to firing a gun but the revelation is that Joe fired the gun. In a moving conversation at the end, Joe, broken down and weeping admits. There is some final voice-over as to what decisions Joe makes.

1. The 911 headquarters, the tasks, the phone calls, the background of the bushfires, the television screens and the information?
2. Los Angeles, the maps, the information, the roads, the police, the agencies?
3. The title, the reference to the cases coming in, the drunk man, the man picking up the prostitute and her robbing him, the man with the injured knee and the ambulance, the issue of the abduction, the death of the baby? Joe himself?
4. The confining the action to the interiors, the effect on the audience, the close-ups of Joe and his work at the phone, his movement around the offices, the other members of the staff present? The action going outside with the phone calls, coming in, the phone calls going out, the range of action to be taken because of the abduction case? Joe and his phoning his friend about the court case?
5. The initial cases, the audience getting the feel of the office, the kind of phone calls, how they were handled, information in detail? Collaboration from other offices? Joe and his talking to his superior? Also on phone duty?
6. The key case, the woman ringing, the phone call and her pretending to talk to her daughter, Joe and his asking questions for her to say yes or no, his getting the information, her abduction, her husband, the van? The attempts of the police to locate the van?
7. The emotional effect on Joe, his upset, his reaction to talking to the various other officials on the phone, their being businesslike and doing their duty, his concern?
8. His getting more information about the caller, addresses, phone numbers, his ringing the daughter and having a conversation with her, her shrewdness, her father getting her to memorise the phone number, her being six? The concern about her little brother? Joe phoning the police and their sending officials to the house? The news of the dead baby, the little girl and the blood? The development of the mystery?
9. The information from the little girl, the turning of the expectations, Joe and his information about the husband, phoning him, the husband’s reaction, the truth gradually emerging? The mother and her psychiatric condition, killing the child? The husband taking her to the institution? His grief at the death of his son? Joe trying to help?
10. The mother coming on the phone again, threatening to jump from the bridge, her reaction to her killing the child? Joe trying to talk her down, the call stopping?
11. The news that the mother was safe? Joe and his ringing his friend Rick, Rick taking the blame about firing the gun, not wanting to be proven a liar in court?
12. The important discussion that Joe had with the mother, telling her the truth, his killing the young man, vengeful motives, his friend taking the blame?
13. Joe and his weeping, acknowledging the truth, urging his friend to tell the truth?
14. The finale, the city, the media information, Joe at admitting to manslaughter?