'The Guilty' Review
R: Language
Runtime: 1 Hr and 30 Minutes
Production Companies: Bold Films, Amet Entertainment, Nine Stories Productions, Fuqua Films
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Nic Pizzolatto
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Adrian Martinez, Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Eli Goree, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Paul Dano, Peter Sarsgaard
Release Date: October 1, 2021
In Theaters & Netflix
The film takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call center. Call operator Joe Baylor (Gyllenhaal) tries to save a caller in grave danger—but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.
Hollywood, didn’t y’all hear Bong Joon Ho last year? What did he say about unnecessary Americanized remakes?! Y’all are hard of hearing, huh? You’re lucky that this is Antoine Fuqua’s best movie in years, that I’ve never seen the original, and that Gyllenhaal bought the rights long before Bong Joon Ho made that Oscar speech or completed Parasite. The Guilty is a remake of a 2018 Danish film of the same name. It received much critical praise and was shortlisted for the Best International Feature Oscar of that year.
From the height of the original film’s critical reception in 2018, Jake Gyllenhaal jumped to adapt this single-set psychological thriller for the States. He legit bought the American rights to it so he could run a one-man show. That level of conviction and determination reflects in his performance. Gyllenhaal brings his A-game as Joe Baylor, a short-tempered, arrogant 911 dispatcher who was demoted and awaited trial for murdering a 19-year-old man. In the midst of a raging LA fire that prevents other officers from answering to other unrelated crimes in the area, Baylor finds himself invested in a case regarding an estranged family’s quarrel and takes it upon himself to singlehandedly solve it. Jake Gyllenhaal has never half-assed a performance no matter what the material may be and he once again delivers a ferocious and captivating solo performance that grips you from beginning to end. Despite how you feel towards the character he portrays, Gyllenhaal embodies the well-known notion of a hot-headed cop. We enter Baylor’s life at a dire moment where everything and everyone around him is in shambles, from his recent divorce to his job. The more time you spend with him (outside of the calls he’s taking), the more human he becomes. As tired as I am of watching movies about the rebellious, angsty cop who doesn’t play by the rules and treats everyone like shit, the film makes it clear that it’s a character study. By the film’s finale, whatever preconceived notion you had about the character is wisked away by Gyllenhaal and his dedication to the role.
Similar to 2013’s Locke (the drama with Tom Hardy answering calls in his car), The Guilty is a single-set drama that takes place within the confines of a dispatch call center. The majority of the shots are either wide, showing the raw emotion Gyllenhaal exudes through Baylor, or up close and personal to the earpiece he wears or whatever feature of his body as it physically responds to whatever piece of information he’s given. With a 90-minute runtime, director Antoine Fuqua makes sure the film isn’t repetitive or runs out of steam. It features the same hard-boiled, masculine grit as the majority of his filmography, but there is a genuine sincerity to it.
From beginning to end, the film is genuinely captivating. From the moment the ride begins with a 911 call from a frightened woman (Riley Keough) trapped in her car with her estranged husband (Peter Sarsgaard), you are completely hooked. Screenwriter Nic Pizzolatto’s script features a damn good setup with the LA wildfire being the backdrop that elevates the sense of urgency and frustration to the lead’s predicament. It maintaints its intensity, even with its short runtime with good pacing that knows when to slow things down in order for Baylor’s arc to develop. Pizzolatto, who has written the majority True Detective episodes, is no stranger to crafting complex and flawed characters who work within the eyes of the law. The way he handles Baylor being an asshole you have to root for due to his determination to get this one terrible crime scene right, matched with Fuqua’s aggressive style, generates enough energy to make this Americanized remake stand on its own two feet. It’s a character-driven story and Pizzolatto’s script provides the lead with growth in a unique way. By the time the conclusion takes its swing, it hits hard. It actually made me respect dispatch officers because the calls they have to listen to all day must be absolutely wild.
I also adore how great the sound mixing of the film is. Since the majority of the intensity comes from these audio-based calls, your anxiety rises with each loud static break and any form of auditory disconnection between Joe Baylor and whoever he’s speaking to. It’s as if the earpiece is its own character, determining who and what Joe hears.
Maybe Americanizing a Danish movie about a cop wasn’t the best course of action for this day and age. Listen, I get that this is a character study about a hot-headed dude having to control his anger, but the fact that it’s about an aggressive, vulgar cop trying to atone for his sins via this one crime is way too on-the-nose. I couldn’t stand this character for a good chunk of the movie. In 2021, there’s nothing enticing about following a hard-edged cop (or in this case, former cop) with anger issues trying to save the day on his own. The team behind this film could’ve taken creative liberties to make the story feel a bit more palatable for an American audience without having to alienate people. What’s the fun in following a white angry cop trying to become less angry? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie and think it’s well-written, but darkening and adding raw aggression to the story in order to make it stand out is far from enough to make it great.
Despite the lead’s incompetence, The Guilty is a one-man, character-driven show for Jake Gyllenhaal. As per usual, he offers a show stopping performance. It’s an entertaining thrill ride that will have you tense and gripping your seat throughout. It doesn’t extend its welcome thanks to good pacing and genuine thrills accomplished through audio. If you haven’t seen the original film, it’s very much worth checking out on Netflix.
