The Missing Person (2009)

Can't tell you how hard I tried to like "The Missing Person". Right off the bat, you can see it is an imitation noir, an attempt to recall a bygone era in movies, and they got a down-at-the-heels, alcoholic 'private eye' to be the hero - and being a likable sort, you root for him. The color is not splashy but almost a sepia, two-tone effect that works well with the mood of the picture.However.As noted by several reviewers, it takes forever to get going but then maintains the same slow, plodding pace throughout the film. And the hero, played by Michael Shannon, severely underplays his part and seems to be in a stupor in some scenes, so sluggish does he appear. That may be what the director was looking for, but he is at times in danger of fading into the wallpaper and losing command of what are essentially his scenes. Lastly, too much plot explanation was saved for the final scenes and became almost too much to absorb; It makes you wonder if you got the gist of the story.I hope this was a learning experience for director Buschel and I applaud his effort and concept. I hope he makes more and better pictures. And I hope he is not offended by the fact that a highlight of the movie for me was Thelonious Monk's version of an old standard, "I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance", played over the final credits. It was perfection, a haunting rendition played slowly and using very few fingers.

Seedy private investigator Michael Shannon (as John Rosow) is hired to find missing husband Frank Wood (as Harold Fullmer). He doesn't hold his liquor as well as the detectives he emulates, but Mr. Shannon manages to find a way in the dark. As you might expect, he has second thoughts about his assignment, and finds himself as well. This is a nicely done "film festival" type - involving but not necessarily entertaining - which does not reflect the films it recalls (Humphrey Bogart is mentioned in the script). Writer/director Noah Buschel and Shannon are fine, but you can always see them working.****** The Missing Person (1/16/09) Noah Buschel ~ Michael Shannon, Frank Wood, Amy Ryan, John Ventimiglia

It might be easy to dismiss "The Missing Person" as a derivative film that tries to cash on the noir genre. Staying with it will pay off, even though it is an uneven picture, only saved by the mood and the atmosphere director Noah Buschel created for his audience. The film delves into a story that is logical and it makes one wonder how many other cases like the one at the center of the story have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous people trying to cash in a truly American tragedy.John Rosow tells us in the opening passages about the only thing that made him become involved in this mystery was because he answered a telephone call. Little did he know he was going to be drawn into an intriguing tale following a man that, for all practical purposes, has been proclaimed dead. When he is made an offer he cannot refuse following Harold Fullmer to Los Angeles from Chicago, he has no idea what he will become involved in.Harold Fullmer was supposed to have died on the 9/11 attacks to the World Trade Center in New York. What nobody knows is that he has survived the tragedy and has decided to get a new life away from his past. Harold decides to save young children that have been abused against their will. He brings them into a Mexican town where a shady character is supposed to see they are returned to their innocent lives before they were made victims.Noah Buschel, the creator of the film, has gone for style and mood, rather than a plausible story. One can only questions Fullmer's vision about the good deeds he is supposed to be doing. Turning the damaged children he is supposed to be saving to a man whose morals leave a lot to be desired, does not speak well of his sense of justice. The character of John Rosow recalls a cross between other screen sleuths, mainly Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, to mention just two. The enigmatic Charlie, a peripheral minor player is also an enigma. Ultimately John Rosow's role in that fatal attack is revealed and his motive of siding with Fullmer is clearly understood.Michael Shannon makes an impressive Rosow. This young actor keeps getting better all the time. He is an actor that takes a while to get used to, but he delivers big time as the complex man that has also suffered a great loss. Amy Ryan has a small role as Charlie. The excellent Margaret Colin serves as a distraction for Rosow in Los Angeles while his investigation is in full swing. Frank Wood looks catatonic most of the time in his take of Harold Fullmer.

This movie reminded me a bit of James Gray's movies. Simply shot, actor driven, quiet, sincere, and romantic. While "The Missing Person" is much more of an art film than "Two Lovers," I left with the same feeling of having just watched something very personal and very moving. I don't want to give away too much about this movie, but ultimately it is a film about loneliness and being alone. Sound like a downer? It's not. Michael Shannon delivers his best performance yet as a drunk detective who likes to crack himself up with bad jokes(he cracked up the Sundance audience too.) Amy Ryan, Margaret Colin, and a bunch of other familiar faces provide moments of humor and sadness. Mostly what impressed me about "The Missing Person" was that it wasn't hip or clever. And not fancy either. In fact it was almost the opposite of every movie I saw at Sundance. It was mostly just good, honest film-making . Rare qualities indeed in independent film these days.