The Guilty (2021) Dir: Antoine Fuqua
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Adapted from the 2018 film of the same name by Gustav Möller, this 2021 Netflix original crime thriller seems to have garnered distinctly mixed reviews.
From what I've gathered, a large portion of the negativity surrounding this film comes from comparisons to the highly touted 2018 original.
Now, I must admit, I have not managed to see the original, and so my opinion naturally may differ. This version, directed by Antoine Fuqua, builds its story around an immensely talented star with a huge emotional range, and goes full tilt on the tension of its narrative to enthrall its audience.
The story is very character driven, and builds its suspense through the protagonist, and the audience, investigating what is going on - neither the character or yhe audience see directly what is going on.
This creates am interesting and effective sense of helplessness and desperation, which in turn makes for some fantastically emotional moments. There is a very good twist, I'm not sure if it was in the original, but either way, I thought it was brilliant.
Jake Ghyllenhaal plays the film's protagonist, and uses his immense emotional capacity to carry what could easily have been a very dull film without his acting quality. I really appreciated how he sold the events of the film to the audience, allowing them to invest as much as he is.
Riley Keough, despite never appearing on-screen, has one of the standout performances of the film. Her superb vocal control and variety is paramount in pulling in the audience and investing them in the story.
Eli Goree is another who doesn't appear on-screen, and while he has substantially less lines of dialogue than Keough, for example, he still managed to leave a good impression on me.
I'll also mention some of the other noteworthy members of the cast, most of whom don't even appear on-screen; Ethan Hawke, Paul Dano, Christina Vidal, Peter Sarsgaard, Bill Burr, Gillian Zinser, Adrian Martinez and Christiana Montoya.
Overall, while I'm sure the original is highly deserving of its praise, I think a lot of people are too quick to dismiss this American remake. It is tense, gripping and heartwrenching - all markers of a pretty decent thriller.
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