The guilty... review

This is Jake Gyllenhaal at his best. From Netflix and directed by Antoine Fuqua, brings audiences this suspense filled thriller, which was a remake of a Danish film of the same name.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

The film takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call centre. Call operator Joe Baylor (Jake 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.

This movie is great, and one I have been anticipating for a long time. A relatively simple storyline, filled with many unexpected twists and turns, but Gyllenhaal’s performance is what will blow audiences away. If you are yet to see this film, be quick to watch.

Gyllenhaal is 99% of it, only ever accompanied by voice acting or the occasional extra within the call centre. It is set within 3 rooms of a 911 dispatch call centre, 2 call centres and a bathroom, and you’re with Joe Baylor for the whole 90 minutes, with the addition of the incredible voice acting from Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough and Peter Sarsgaard seen through numerous phone calls that take place throughout the movie. The choice to have this be told from one person’s perspective creates a much more thorough and personal story, portraying the action in the most incredible way, and not at all how you will expect.

What makes this film even more suspenseful is the use of voice acting as opposed to having cuts from Gyllenhaal in the dispatch room to the other person on the phone. This would have been unbelievably distracting, wouldn’t have allowed audiences to have become as connected with the characters, and, personally, I think would have made the film much less enjoyable. You may think that only hearing a phone call would not allow you to connect to said characters, but it is almost the opposite. You become increasingly more interested in the story of each character, and because you have a slight distance on the supporting roles over Gyllenhaal's character, it gives opportunity for his backstory to be developed in a much deeper way. Other directors would have included shots of racing cars down the highways, ticking clocks, police sirens over the top of some of the scenes, but Antoine Fuqua, and editor Jason Ballantine, allow the weight of the story to be on Baylor’s and Gyllenhaal’s shoulders, and I commend them for this. Whilst this choice may not have been entirely spontaneous due to the global pandemic, I think it made the film even more special. Following one person’s action as opposed to a multitude of different perspectives allowed you as a viewer to truly get invested and attached, and there would be no better actor to spend 90 minutes with than Gyllenhaal. We have seen the Fuqua and Gyllenhaal partnership before and before the film even begun, we knew that this would be incredible. If you are a fan of Southpaw (one of my favourites), then you will love this.

If the academy wasn’t such a tarnished committee, this would be another contender for Gyllenhaal to receive the best actor nomination and potential win. I admire the way, no matter what, he throws himself into the role. This movie was shot over 11 days, and yet the depth of character Gyllenhaal provides suggests this is a role he has had months and months to prepare for. Not only is his ability to be so openly vulnerable on screen perfect, but it is so necessary in movies such as these. His ability to become these characters so intensely and thoroughly is why he is one one of our generations best actors, and my personal favourite.

Baylor isn’t the typical 911 operator; we learn very quickly that he is a flawed and broken individual having just been demoted from his job as officer, struggling with his relationship with his wife and dealing with the separation from his daughter. What this film achieves incredibly well is the ability to follow two storylines seamlessly and allowing them to overlap and interchange with each other. The story of Baylor has nothing to do with the phone call from Emily, and yet the two fit, and the film would not be nearly as successful if the two were not explored equally. Whilst this film is marketed as a ‘thriller’, and it is, this is also the story of a broken man facing the truth and having to deal with it, no matter the consequences.

Without spoiling too much of the main storyline, nothing is what it seems when Emily calls 911. There are moments of complete disbelief and shock that will have you questioning everything you have believed, and moments of desperation and hopelessness that will have you wanting to reach into the screen and help the characters out. No one is who they seem in this movie, be prepared to be blown away with a multitude of surprising turn of events.

Something that I believe this film will teach Hollywood is that high budget spectacles filled with the best CGI and special effects will do nothing without great directing and a stellar cast. As this film has shown us, a movie made entirely in a pandemic over an 11-day shoot where the Director isn’t even on set for the movie can be so incredibly powerful if the right actor is involved. Gyllenhaal once again solidifies that his emotional presence on screen and his acting choices are second to none, and you have gold if you have him in your movies.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, it was exciting from start to finish. The short run time only added to the quick pace and fast developing plot and yet the film ended with all questions answered. This film wastes no time getting to the action, and has you gripped from the very first phone call. Expect a lot of twists and a few turns, some predictable, some absolutely not, but most importantly, prepare to see a masterclass in acting from Gyllenhaal.

If you have seen this movie already, what did you think? And if you haven't seen it yet, watch the trailer below: