While
THE MISSING is indeed an entertaining western/thriller that boasts
solid performances, the film isn’t quite perfect. My only quibble with THE
MISSING is that the film seems too long at 137 minutes and the pacing
could have used the kind of urgency that its storyline would seem to
dictate. Fans of the genre will find plot elements of THE MISSING
vaguely reminiscent of the John Ford western classic THE SEARCHERS,
although this film adds a mild supernatural element to the plot. Based
upon the Thomas Eidson novel The Last Ride, THE MISSING
is set in 1885 and tells the story of a healer named Maggie Gilkeson (Cate
Blanchett), who receives an unexpected visitor to her New Mexico ranch.
Initially appearing to be an Apache, the visitor actually turns out to be
Maggie’s own father, Samuel Jones (Tommy Lee Jones), who deserted her
and her mother many years ago, when he went off to live amongst the native
tribes.
As
expected, Maggie has absolutely no use for her estranged father and sends
him on his way almost immediately. However, shortly after Jones leaves her
ranch, Maggie’s daughter Lily (Evan Rachel Wood) is taken by a group of
army deserters, lead by an Apache witch named Chidin (Eric Schweig), who
has been kidnapped white girls to sell into slavery in Mexico. Unable to
get assistance from the local authorities or the army, Maggie is forced to
turn to her father for help- after all, it makes sense that it would take
an Indian to track an Indian. With her younger daughter Dot (Jenna Boyd)
in tow, Maggie sets off with her father in search of Lily and the
kidnappers. The cast of THE MISSING also features Aaron Eckhart,
Val Kilmer, Sergio Calderón Steve Reevis, Jay Tavare, Simon Baker, Max
Perlich and Clint Howard.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made THE MISSING available on DVD in
a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on
16:9 displays. THE MISSING is a beautifully photographed movie and
this fine transfer really shows off Salvatore Totino’s impressive
cinematography. For the most part, the image appear sharp and very nicely
defined, although there are occasional shots that seem just a fraction
softer. The color scheme can be a little bit variable, sunlit days provide
the most vibrant colors, but sequences shot in overcast winter weather
have more muted looking hues. Blacks are accurately rendered, as are the
whites. Contrast is generally smooth, except for several more artful
shots, and the image demonstrates good shadow detail in darker scenes. The
film element used for the transfer is very clean and appreciable grain is
minimal. Digital compression artifacts maintain a low profile.
THE
MISSING comes with a solid Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack. The
sound mix never exceeds the needs of the material and never calls
attention to itself. Much of THE MISSING is dialogue driven, so
those sequences are presented with a good ambient sense of space and
within a natural sounding outdoor environment. Sequences with more action
and gunplay do take better advantage of the discrete nature of the Dolby
Digital format to create convincing effects. Dialogue is nicely recorded
and usually sounds very natural. James Horner’s score has a vibrant
musical quality and is nicely integrated into surround soundstage. The
bass channel is quite solid and never seems artificially pumped-up or
forced. A French 2.0 surround track is also encoded onto the DVD, as are
English and French subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as a fine array of supplements, which have been
spread across both discs of this two-disc set. Disc one offers a
theatrical trailer, plus the following bonus trailers: HELLBOY,
SPIDER-MAN 2, 13 GOING ON 30, RESIDENT EVIL 2,
SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE, BIG FISH, THE STATEMENT,
PANIC ROOM, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE and THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES.
On disc two, one will find the majority of the supplements, starting with
11 deleted scenes. The deleted scenes offer a lot of interesting material,
but were obviously deleted to quicken the film’s still somewhat languid
pacing. Along the same lines as the deleted scenes are three alternate
versions of the movie’s ending. These too are interesting, but the final
ending chosen for the film works the best. Next, are several minutes worth
of amusing outtakes.
The
featurettes section begins with The Last Ride: The Story Of The
Missing, a five-minute program that covers the story development
from novel to screenplay. New Frontiers: Making The Missing
runs shy of a half hour and details the film’s production from
behind-the-scenes. The Modern Western Score is five minutes
in length and features insights into James Horner’s contributions to the
production. Casting The Missing clocks in at fifteen minutes
and examines how the majority of actors were brought into the production. Apache
Language School offers a five-minute look at the film’s use of
the native language, which is being lost to time and assimilation. Ron
Howard On... offers a series of very brief programs in which the
director talks about various topics and offers a glimpse of some of his
home movies. A three-part photo gallery closes out the supplements.
THE
MISSING is entertaining western/thriller that genre fans are certain
to enjoy, as well as fans of Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett. Columbia’s
DVD looks great and sounds just fine, plus it offers up a solid
supplemental section. If you are intrigued by the storyline or its fine
cast, then you can’t go wrong by picking up a copy of THE MISSING
for yourself.
While
THE MISSING is indeed an entertaining western/thriller that boasts
solid performances, the film isn’t quite perfect. My only quibble with THE
MISSING is that the film seems too long at 137 minutes and the pacing
could have used the kind of urgency that its storyline would seem to
dictate. Fans of the genre will find plot elements of THE MISSING
vaguely reminiscent of the John Ford western classic THE SEARCHERS,
although this film adds a mild supernatural element to the plot. Based
upon the Thomas Eidson novel The Last Ride, THE MISSING
is set in 1885 and tells the story of a healer named Maggie Gilkeson (Cate
Blanchett), who receives an unexpected visitor to her New Mexico ranch.
Initially appearing to be an Apache, the visitor actually turns out to be
Maggie’s own father, Samuel Jones (Tommy Lee Jones), who deserted her
and her mother many years ago, when he went off to live amongst the native
tribes.
As
expected, Maggie has absolutely no use for her estranged father and sends
him on his way almost immediately. However, shortly after Jones leaves her
ranch, Maggie’s daughter Lily (Evan Rachel Wood) is taken by a group of
army deserters, lead by an Apache witch named Chidin (Eric Schweig), who
has been kidnapped white girls to sell into slavery in Mexico. Unable to
get assistance from the local authorities or the army, Maggie is forced to
turn to her father for help- after all, it makes sense that it would take
an Indian to track an Indian. With her younger daughter Dot (Jenna Boyd)
in tow, Maggie sets off with her father in search of Lily and the
kidnappers. The cast of THE MISSING also features Aaron Eckhart,
Val Kilmer, Sergio Calderón Steve Reevis, Jay Tavare, Simon Baker, Max
Perlich and Clint Howard.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made THE MISSING available on DVD in
a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on
16:9 displays. THE MISSING is a beautifully photographed movie and
this fine transfer really shows off Salvatore Totino’s impressive
cinematography. For the most part, the image appear sharp and very nicely
defined, although there are occasional shots that seem just a fraction
softer. The color scheme can be a little bit variable, sunlit days provide
the most vibrant colors, but sequences shot in overcast winter weather
have more muted looking hues. Blacks are accurately rendered, as are the
whites. Contrast is generally smooth, except for several more artful
shots, and the image demonstrates good shadow detail in darker scenes. The
film element used for the transfer is very clean and appreciable grain is
minimal. Digital compression artifacts maintain a low profile.
THE
MISSING comes with a solid Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack. The
sound mix never exceeds the needs of the material and never calls
attention to itself. Much of THE MISSING is dialogue driven, so
those sequences are presented with a good ambient sense of space and
within a natural sounding outdoor environment. Sequences with more action
and gunplay do take better advantage of the discrete nature of the Dolby
Digital format to create convincing effects. Dialogue is nicely recorded
and usually sounds very natural. James Horner’s score has a vibrant
musical quality and is nicely integrated into surround soundstage. The
bass channel is quite solid and never seems artificially pumped-up or
forced. A French 2.0 surround track is also encoded onto the DVD, as are
English and French subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as a fine array of supplements, which have been
spread across both discs of this two-disc set. Disc one offers a
theatrical trailer, plus the following bonus trailers: HELLBOY,
SPIDER-MAN 2, 13 GOING ON 30, RESIDENT EVIL 2,
SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE, BIG FISH, THE STATEMENT,
PANIC ROOM, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE and THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES.
On disc two, one will find the majority of the supplements, starting with
11 deleted scenes. The deleted scenes offer a lot of interesting material,
but were obviously deleted to quicken the film’s still somewhat languid
pacing. Along the same lines as the deleted scenes are three alternate
versions of the movie’s ending. These too are interesting, but the final
ending chosen for the film works the best. Next, are several minutes worth
of amusing outtakes.
The
featurettes section begins with The Last Ride: The Story Of The
Missing, a five-minute program that covers the story development
from novel to screenplay. New Frontiers: Making The Missing
runs shy of a half hour and details the film’s production from
behind-the-scenes. The Modern Western Score is five minutes
in length and features insights into James Horner’s contributions to the
production. Casting The Missing clocks in at fifteen minutes
and examines how the majority of actors were brought into the production. Apache
Language School offers a five-minute look at the film’s use of
the native language, which is being lost to time and assimilation. Ron
Howard On... offers a series of very brief programs in which the
director talks about various topics and offers a glimpse of some of his
home movies. A three-part photo gallery closes out the supplements.
THE
MISSING is entertaining western/thriller that genre fans are certain
to enjoy, as well as fans of Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett. Columbia’s
DVD looks great and sounds just fine, plus it offers up a solid
supplemental section. If you are intrigued by the storyline or its fine
cast, then you can’t go wrong by picking up a copy of THE MISSING
for yourself.
